Pumpkin Recipes>

On Halloween...

We don't actually celebrate other than keeping some goodies on hand for handing out to the "trick 'r treaters" who knock on our front door on All Hallows Eve. As for halloween pumpkins...now that our children are grown we no longer carve fanciful faces in pumpkins to light with a candle and set upon the front porch. However, pumpkins can be used for things other than carving...

Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin Baked with Chile Butter
Pumpkin with Black Beans
Pumpkin 'n Red Chile Soup

They're only in season for about a month, but like other winter squash, they will keep in a cool place through most of the winter.

Pumpkin Puree

With a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin into manageable pieces and scrape out the seeds and strings clinging to the inside. Remove the skin with a paring knife or peeler. Place the pieces of pumpkin in a pan with about 1/2 inch of water (or better yet...add about 1/2 bottle of pumpkin ale), cover with a lid and stew over low heat for about 30 min. or until pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork. Check once in a while to make sure there is moisture in the bottom of the pan, adding more water or ale if necessary to keep pumpkin from sticking to the pan or burning. Pumpkin can be either mashed thoroughly with a fork or pureed in a blender, adding some of the cooking liquid as necessary to bring to desired consistency depending on what the pumpkin will be used for. Pumpkin puree freezes well for future use.

Pumpkin Baked with Chile Butter

Any chile flavored butter can be used, but my favorite is Chipotle Chile Butter...

1 - small to medium size pumpkin
1 tablespoon - pumpkin ale
1/2 tablespoons - Chile Butter

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strands. Cover one half with plastic wrap and refrigerate for other use. Place other half of pumpkin, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil and bake in an oven at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes. While pumpkin is baking, melt chile butter over low heat using a heat diffuser to avoid burning. Remove pumpkin from oven when the cooked flesh can be pierced with a fork without too much resistance. Make parallel cuts in pumpkin flesh about 1 inch apart with a knife being careful to only cut as closely to the rind as possible but not through. Repeat process at a 90 degree angle to previous cuts. Pour ale into the pumpkin. Brush inside surface and top cut with melted chile butter. Return pumpkin to the oven and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, frequently basting with chile butter/ale mix that pools in the bottom of the pumpkin, until the pumpkin is cooked through. Scoop cooked pumpkin from the shell using a serving spoon. Discard rind. Serve pumpkin hot with coarse salt, ground black pepper and crushed red chiles to sprinkle on as desired.

Note: Left over pumpkin can be pureed with a little chicken or vegetable broth for making pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin with Black Beans

This combination of pumpkin and black beans is both tasty and colorful...

2 cups - cooked black beans
3 cups - uncooked pumpkin, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup - chopped onion
1/2 cup - chopped red chile
1 tablespoon - chile oil
1 - 12 ounce bottle pumpkin ale
1 clove - garlic
1 teaspoon - coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon - ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon - ground cayenne chile
freshly grated nutmeg as needed

Peel and dice garlic, sprinkle with salt, and crush with the tines of a dinner fork. Saute onion, red chiles, and garlic in chile oil for about 5 minutes. Add chopped pumpkin and cook, stiring frequently, for another 5 minutes. Add 6 ounces of the pumpkin ale, cayenne and black pepper. Stir, cover and cook over low heat until pumpkin is just short of fork tender. Drain black beans and stir into pumpkin. Cook until beans are heated through, adding additional pumpkin ale as necessary to keep from drying out, sticking or burning. Serve with freshly grated nutmeg to taste.

Pumpkin 'n Red Chile Soup

For a mild pumpkin soup, use plain cooked pumpkin. For a spicier version, use Pumpkin baked with Chile Butter.

2 cups - cooked pumpkin
1 cup - uncooked pumpkin, chopped
1 cup - chicken broth
1/4 cup - onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove - garlic, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon - coarse salt
1 - red chile, chopped
1 tablespoon - olive oil or chile flavored oil
1 bottle - pumpkin ale or other style of ale
1/2 teaspoon - ground white pepper
fresh grated nutmeg -- to taste

Puree cooked pumpkin with chicken broth in a blender. Sprinkle salt over diced garlic and crush thoroughly with the back of a dinner fork. Saute onion, red chile, and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add chopped pumpkin and cook for about another 5 minutes. Add pumpkin puree, ground white pepper, and half the bottle of pumpkin ale. Stir thoroughly, lower heat and cook until pumpkin pieces are cooked, adding more pumpkin ale as necessary to keep soup from becoming too thick. Serve in individual bowls with fresh, whole nutmeg to grate over soup to taste.

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