Over the next two to three weeks we are going to see a lot of pumpkins in the supermarkets! But remember to stock up well in advance of Halloween as they can be hard to find in the last week of October.
It can be a little overwhelming cooking with such a large vegetable, but once you have someone carry it home to you and the seed and chop it into pieces, then you are ready to fry, fry or puree it and use it in a few budget-friendly, hearty meals.
Use it in salads, soups and of course sweets: pancakes, muffins, pumpkin pie or even in your smoothie.
And when you are done with the meat, you still have the seeds, which are full of protein, as well as magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. However, it does require a lot of patience, which I only have a spoonful of, but if you have time for that, there are good tutorials on how to peel the seeds online.
Time to pimp some pumps
The sweater weather is approaching, so the logical choice for a recipe that fits this column may have been some heart-warming, comfortable food. Pumpkin pie was the first thing that popped into my head, but who am I kidding? The chance that I would actually make a pumpkin pie is 0 percent.
It’s a bit old school; I want to feel inspired by new ways of making pumpkins, and I have not seen many places that serve pumpkin dishes or desserts. The exception is my sweet Japanese baker friend Keiko (@keikoscakesforhappiness), who delivers cake and dessert to cafes and restaurants.
Together with Kiosken på Odden she had a pop-up event in Studio X Kitchen (Dronningens Tværgade 50, Cph K) and guess what was on their menu? Pumpkin cream caramel, pumpkin pie in Keiko style and pumpkin and chocolate roll!
Do not direct your spoon to me!
Grasshopper species do not get better than this. Buttery shortbread crust, the freshness of Keiko’s puree, all topped with thin slices of pumpkin that adds a little texture .. you can taste the love of Keiko’s baking, and I’m not exaggerating.
Keiko steamed pumpkin to get the pure flavor out, rather than using canned pumpkin puree or frying it, as the taste can get a little bitter due to the caramelization, she explained.
Like the Danish roulade, Swiss roll is found in all Hong Kong and Japanese bakeries, but with a much more airy cake base and less sugary. With Keiko’s version, pumpkin and chocolate roll, she filled it with pumpkin cream, which I could just eat a bowl of!
My favorite was the jiggly pumpkin cream caramel. Let’s just say this is not for sharing, so don’t even try to keep your spoon close to it! The amount of pumpkin was perfectly fine, so it did not spoil the texture of the pudding, but it was still enough to recognize the pumpkin.
Bowl-licking broth
Enough sweet talk! Back in the days when I lived in Hong Kong, I had the privilege of experiencing a ‘bowl of lick, could not get enough of it’ pumpkin soup, so I thought I would recreate it into a noodle dish. It is budget friendly and can be easily converted to a vegan version.
I used my leftover fried chicken from the night before: bones for the broth and meat for the topping. I always get whole free range or organic chicken when offered: $ 60 stretches easily for three meals, but that would be another article, another day.
In this recipe, I used vermicelli because it is quick, less filling, and it absorbs all soups or sauces. For a vegan version, replace chicken broth with vegetables and meat with tofu. Vermicelli, tofu and enoki mushrooms are found in most Asian grocery stores.
For wine lovers, this would suit a dry Riesling quite well.
Let’s see what you do with pumpkins this year. Share your thoughts and ideas with us #cphpost. Video tutorial on @omg_itsstillwednesday. Happy autumn!
Pumpkin noodle soup
For the broth, put the bones of a roasted chicken in a pan, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 tomato, peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of Miso pasta and a secret ingredient: a piece of pork fillet, but it is optional.
-Add enough water to cover all the ingredients and let it simmer for 60-90 minutes. Alternatively, you can use bouillon cubes for the broth, but it will not be so good.
Towards the end, toss your pumpkin (chopped in large portions still with the peel on) so that it is half steamed, half boiled.
– When the pumpkin skin is soft, fish it out and mix into a paste. Mix broth and pumpkin paste, season and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
– Pour over prepared noodles, top with shredded chicken, steamed spinach, soy sauce, sesame oil and Enoki mushrooms.
– If you like it spicy, add fresh chili or chili powder on top for a bit of a kick.