Picks from the pumpkin patch: seasonal fresh pumpkin can be so much more than pie - includes recipes and a pumpkin primer - Cover Story

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 1996 by Nancy Ross Ryan

OCTOBER is smack dab in the middle of pumpkin season. Unlike its cousin, winter squash, which is available almost all year long, pumpkin is a distinctive fall-winter pleasure, to be enjoyed from September through December. The rest of the year, when absence makes the heart grow fonder, we can enjoy commercially canned pumpkin, pumpkin that we have frozen or winter squashes that are pumpkin taste-a-likes. And we can enjoy them in hundreds of different ways, far beyond pumpkin pie.

Despite its popularity in this country as pastry fodder, other cuisines feature pumpkin in savvy dishes. How did Americans become so fixated on pumpkin pie while the rest of the world was revering in pumpkin curries, soups, stews and pumpkin paired with beans, greens, rice and pasta? Pumpkin was mercifully plentiful when the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Colony, helping them survive the winter of 1623. In its honor they wrote: "We have pumpkin at morning and pumpkin at noon, if it were not for pumpkin we would be undoon." But those same Pilgrims brought with them from England a taste for familiar spices--cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger--and a love of rich meat pies. At some point they put pumpkin into the culinary equation and voile, the American pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, the American pumpkin has languished in near obscurity ever since, relegated to guest appearances at Thanksgiving dinner.

Before you start eyeing that jack-o'-lantern for supper, however, note that not all pumpkins are created equal: some are for carving and some for cooking. Deeming them stringy and watery, every cookbook consulted, every chef and expert interviewed said emphatically, "Don't cook with Halloween pumpkins!" But Karen Mangum, R.D., author of Life s Simple Pleasures, Fine Veunetarian Cooking For Sharing And Celebration (Harvest Press, 199 6), says, "If you've got them, why not use them? I cook with mine all the time." Mangum seeds, slices and bakes hers, and says they're delicious. Maybe, when it comes to jack-o'-lanterns, satisfactory cooking results are the luck of the draw.

To further complicate matters, some pumpkins that are good for cooking, are also good-looking. Instead of Halloween candy, Karen Caplan, president of Frieda's Finest Produce, Los Angeles, hands out tiny mini-pumpkins to trick-or-treaters who come knocking at her door. "I must give out 500 little pumpkins a year. They're not only adorable, they're delicious."

This Halloween, give yourself a real treat. Discover the unique flavor of fresh pumpkin in the recipes that follow for savvy soup to sweet mousse, with lots more in between.

Baked Pumpkin

Look for pumpkins that are heavy for their size, with hard, smooth skins.

1 small cooking pumpkin. 3 to 6 lbs. or 1 large cooking pumpkin 7 to 12 lbs. 1 cup water 1 to 2 Tbs. butter or margarine or olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

PREHEAT OVEN to 400 degrees. Cut pumpkin in half lengthwise. Using melon bailer, scoop out seeds and stringy fibers down to flesh. Discard seeds and fibers.

For small pumpkins, cut halves in half again, resulting in 4 pieces, weighing between 3/4 pound to 1 1/2 pounds per piece.

For larger pumpkins, CUt halves in half lengthwise, then cut quarters in half, resulting in 8 pieces, each weighing between 7/8 to 1 1/2 pounds per piece, depending on size of pumpkin.

Place pumpkin pieces in lightly oiled 9- by 13-inch baking pan, skin side down, cut side up. Pour in water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, lightly oiled on one side, oiled side down.

Bake until pumpkin flesh tests uniformly tender when fork is inserted, about 1 hour.

Remove from oven. Remove foil. Brush cut halves with butter, margarine or oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Makes 4 to 8 servings.

HELPFUL HINT: To microwave, cook slices, in single layer on plate, covered, for about 10 minutes. Cook halves or large pieces, skin side down in baking dish with 1/2 cup water, covered, for about 15 minutes.

VARIATION: Mix packed dark brown sugar with water in equal amounts. Whisk to dissolve. Brush liberally over cut surfaces and sprinkle sparsely with nutmeg before returning to oven.

Alternatively, brush cut surfaces liberally with maple syrup before returning to oven.

PER 1-CUP SERVING: 65 CAL.; 1G PROT.; 3G TOTAL FAT (2G SAT. FAT); 9G CARB.; 8MG CHOL.; 268MG SOD.; 7G FIBER. LACTO/VEGAN

Pumpkin Puree

Pureed pumpkin can be added to pancakes, mousse, soups, frostings, breads, etc.

3/4 lb. baked pumpkin

LET BAKED PUMPKIN pieces cool until they can be handled. Scoop and scrape out pumpkin flesh. Mash well with fork in bowl, or pulse in food processor or blender to puree. Makes about 1 cup puree.

PER 1-CUP SERVING: 49 CAL., 2G PROT., 0.2G TOTAL FAT (0.1G SAT. FAT); 12G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 2MG SOD.; 7G FIBER. VEGAN

Pumpkin Soup

Too many pumpkin soups rely on milk or cream for flavor and texture. This one depends upon vegetable broth, aromatic spices and fresh pumpkin puree for great flavor and texture. Fresh puree and homemade vegetable broth provide the best flavor. If you use canned pumpkin, boost the flavor by sauteing garlic, ginger and I teaspoon curry powder with the onion.