What to do with Pumpkin

Other than use it to make a Cinderella Coach! Or to Carve Pumpkin for All Saints Night or Halloween.

I became rather fond of pumpkin on my trip to Australia many years ago, where I got to taste lots of new flavours and came home loving them and wanting them on my own seasonal food menu as a result and Pumpkin or Squash has featured ever since.  I am particularly fond of roast pumpkin or squash which is delicious served with the Sunday roast.  I always freeze some down as a treat for the colder months, but I also do other things with pumpkin. It is one of those vegetables that is seriously good for you, warming, filling and nutritious.

Whilst the pumpkins are in the shops and I intend to nab a couple this weekend as they are one of my favourite vegetables and I have a couple of recipes that I really must make.  Pumpkin Chutney and Pumpkin Marmalade as well as pumpkin soup and pasta.

I absolutely adore pumpkin roasted, in fact I am very fond of squash as well, as they are a good slow release food for your system that help you sustain energy levels. Looking for something different a few years ago, I found a recipe for Pumpkin marmalade. I wasn't sure whether to make it at first, but then decided to make a few jars to test it out. I was a little concerned because then and in my experience, marmalade wasn't made with anything other than oranges, limes and grapefruit I tend to test out new recipes, test drive them and then if I like them, they get put into my favourite recipe book and made year in year out - as long as supplies are available. I particularly like this preserve on toast for breakfast. It is relatively simple to make. The recipe will follow in a later post.

My friend Eve (as a way of thanking me for all my personal cooking tuition and various other bits and bobs) had some very good fortune last week in that she won a small sum at bingo.  Knowing that I would not accept money or a present from her - she colluded with the Veg shop owners, set me up and left a sum of money behind the counter to pay for my weekly fresh veg. with the instruction that they were not to take the word No from me.  This was a lovely surprise and came just when needed when funds were low.  As part of that little surprise I came home with three large pumpkins originally priced at £3 apiece.  I came home with all three at £1 a shout. i.e. £3 rather than the £9 they were priced at.  So I felt doubly blessed.

What on earth do I want those for I can hear you say.  Primarily for making Pumpkin marmalade, which is delicious on toast for brekkie in the morning, but also some for soup and also some for stuffed pasta.  I particularly like Pumpkin, but also use Butternut Squash in a similar fashion also.  I have some serious cooking to do and lots of other things besides I think I am going to be busy over the weekend.

What are your favourite veggies and how do you prepare them would love to know

Catch up soon

Pattypan

xx