Pumpkin, not just for dessert
Of the many rituals that signify the holiday dinner, there are two that serve as the bookends that make Thanksgiving more than just another lowercase meal: the carving of the turkey to start the festivities and the serving of the pumpkin pie at the very, very end.
Now for turkey lovers, that order is fine. But for us pumpkin lovers, it’s a mighty long time to wait. Too long.
Rather than sit around like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear, can’t we celebrate the squash throughout the meal?
Let’s step away from the pie crust and rethink pumpkin at Thanksgiving. It’s a versatile vegetable that can be used in many ways. Roast it whole or in pieces, saute it as a side dish or simmer it slowly for soup. Bake it into breads and rolls both savory and sweet.
And the number of varieties available seems to increase with every season, as more and more heirloom cooking pumpkins show up at farmers markets and grocery stores, each with its own subtleties in color and flavor.
As for introducing the new uses for pumpkin at our Thanksgiving meal, a logical place to start is with a salad. Try adding roasted pumpkin to peppery greens for a contrast in texture and flavor. One is buttery and sweet; the other is crunchy and sharp. Together they play up each other’s best qualities.
Roasting is a simple way to cook squash, and it’s perfect for coaxing out the subtle flavors and rich, caramelized sweetness. Peel, clean and coarsely chop the pumpkin. Toss the pieces with red pearl onions, a little olive oil and a sprinkling of chopped rosemary and thyme. Roast at 350 degrees for just under an hour, tossing occasionally so the pieces cook evenly, until they are tender, caramelized and fragrant.
Cool until ready to serve -- the pumpkin can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Just before serving, toss with a blend of frisee and mixed greens, and fold in crisp bacon and toasted walnuts.
And don’t forget to save those seeds -- they’re terrific toasted on their own, or use them to lend color and crunch to other dishes. They’re often also a good substitute for nuts when allergies are an issue. Peel and toast your own, or buy the seeds -- also known as pepitas -- whole or already shelled at the market.
Try adding the toasted seeds to stuffing, another staple of the Thanksgiving meal. Combine the seeds with toasted cubes of corn bread, sauteed Spanish chorizo and corn. Throw in a few roasted poblano chiles for a little heat, and season with oregano, cumin and Spanish smoked paprika. Toss the stuffing with melted butter and chicken broth, and then bake in the oven until the topping is crisp and golden and the contents are warmed through.
The selection of good-for-cooking pumpkin varieties now extends well beyond the old favorite, Sugar Pie. Reading a seed catalog or strolling through the produce section, you might find pumpkins such as the Long Island cheese squash, named because it resembles a massive round of cheddar and which is especially good for baking in pies, or the French Galeux d’Eysines, which may be better known for its warty shell, but it has a really fresh, vibrant flavor.
Off-the-shelf option
But you don’t need to have an heirloom pumpkin to cook these dishes. In fact, for many preparations, canned pumpkin puree works well. Made from a variety of pumpkin closer in looks to butternut squash, the puree can be used for soups, risottos, sauces, dressings and a number of baked goods in addition to pie.
Of course, making your own puree is simple. Halve the pumpkin crosswise, scraping out the seeds and pulp. Place the halves, cut-side-down, on a foil-lined baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or so until the flesh is tender (carefully lift one of the halves and test the flesh under the shell, it should spoon out easily).
Remove the pumpkin from the oven and cool slightly, then spoon the flesh out of the shell and puree until smooth. Push the puree through a strainer to remove any solids and store until needed. It’ll keep, refrigerated, for a week and will freeze up to three months.
One way to use the puree is in a fragrantly spiced pumpkin cake. Like bananas, pumpkins lend a moist texture and tender crumb to baked goods without adding fat.
While most pumpkin cakes are finished with a cream cheese- or lemon-based frosting, why not try a sour cream ganache? Chocolate and pumpkin are an unexpected pairing, but adding sour cream to the frosting gives a pleasantly light tang. Be sure to use a chocolate that isn’t too dark and bitter. This is one place where semisweet is an improvement.
Not to make that pumpkin pie jealous, but who knows? Now that you’ve gotten your pumpkin fix in other places, you might start noticing all those other pies on the table.
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Roasted pumpkin salad
Total time: About 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus cooling time for the vegetables
Servings: 8 to 10
10 cups cubed pumpkin (peeled and seeded), cut into 1-inch pieces (from about 7 pounds of pumpkin)
3 cups red pearl onions, peeled and trimmed
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/8 teaspoons salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon minced rosemary
1 teaspoon minced thyme
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch strips
1 medium leek, trimmed (root end and tough outer greens), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch strips
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup walnut oil
1 cup walnut halves
2 heads frisee, leaves separated from the root
6 cups lightly packed mesclun mix or mixed greens
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin and onions with 3 tablespoons olive oil, one-half teaspoon salt, several grinds of pepper, the rosemary and thyme. Place the vegetables on a foil-lined baking pan and roast until softened and lightly caramelized, about 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes for even coloring. Remove the pan and allow the pumpkin and onions to cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat, discarding or reserving the rest for another use.
4. Add the leek strips to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until they soften and just begin to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine and cook, scraping any of the flavorful bits that stick to the bottom of the pan, until the wine evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Place the leek strips and any cooking liquid in a medium bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and mustard. Drizzle in the walnut oil while whisking to emulsify. Season with one-eighth teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, or to taste. Set aside in a warm place.
6. Toss the walnuts with 3 tablespoons olive oil and one-half teaspoon salt. Spread on a sheet pan and toast in the 375-degree oven until the nuts are fragrant and a rich brown color, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and cool slightly. Set aside. The salad components can be made up to this point 1 day in advance. Refrigerate the components separately, and warm the dressing before folding into the salad.
7. In a large serving bowl, toss the greens with two-thirds of the vinaigrette. Gently fold in the roasted pumpkin and onions, the bacon and toasted walnuts. Add extra vinaigrette as needed to lightly coat the contents.
8. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until needed, up to several hours in advance. Allow to warm slightly before serving.
Each of 10 servings: 357 calories; 7 grams protein; 25 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 8 mg. cholesterol; 426 mg. sodium.
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Pumpkin cake with sour cream ganache
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, plus cooling time for the cake
Servings: 12 to 16
Note: The ganache recipe is adapted from “The Cake Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum. For the ganache, a less bitter, lower percentage chocolate will best complement the cake (preferably 60% to 65%).
Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup safflower or canola oil
2 cups pumpkin puree
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) springform pans.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.
3. In a separate large bowl with a fork, stir together the eggs and sour cream. Stir in the brown sugar and then the oil until just combined; be careful not to overwhisk.
4. Gently stir the flour mixture into the batter just until incorporated and there are no lumps. Stir in the pumpkin puree.
5. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake the cakes for about 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (the cakes are moist and there may be a few crumbs on the toothpick, but there should be no batter). Remove and allow the cakes to cool, still in the pans, on a wire rack to room temperature.
Sour cream ganache and assembly
18 ounces semisweet chocolate or 6 (3-ounce) bars, coarsely chopped
3 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted pecans
1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Remove from heat.
2. Gently fold the sour cream into the chocolate until incorporated and uniform in texture, then stir in the salt.
3. Remove the cakes from the pans and place one on a cake stand or serving plate with the flat-bottomed side up and spoon one-fourth of the ganache over the cake. Spread the ganache evenly over the top.
4. Place the second cake, domed side up, evenly over the first and spoon one-half of the remaining frosting over the cake, evenly covering the top and sides. Add additional frosting as needed to coat the cake evenly.
5. Press the pecans into the sides of the cake. The cake can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Each of 16 servings: 612 calories; 8 grams protein; 59 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 43 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 73 mg. cholesterol; 355 mg. sodium.
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Pumpkin seed stuffing with chorizo
Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: Pumpkin seed oil can be found at well-stocked supermarkets and gourmet cooking stores. Spanish chorizo can be found at La Espanola Meats in Harbor City, Spain Restaurant in Los Angeles, Surfas in Culver City and select Spanish markets. For a little extra heat, roast 2 to 4 jalapenos with the poblanos, then clean, stem, seed and chop them before adding to the stuffing.
10 cups cubed corn bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup pumpkin seed oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shelled pumpkin seeds
4 poblano chiles
6 tablespoons ( 3/4 stick) butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound Spanish chorizo, cut crosswise into 1/8 -inch slices
1 1/2 cups corn, from about 2 medium corn cobs
2 onions, cut into 1/2 -inch dice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
2 to 3 cups chicken broth
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss the corn bread with 3 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil, the thyme, oregano, one-half teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Spread the cubes in a single layer on a large, foil-lined baking sheet and toast for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly golden, shaking the pan every 5 minutes for even coloring. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then place in a large bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with the remaining tablespoon pumpkin seed oil, one-fourth teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Place the seeds on a foil-lined sheet and toast until fragrant, puffed and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove and cool, then add to the corn bread.
4. Meanwhile, roast the chiles on the stove top directly over a hot burner until charred on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to a sealed paper bag to rest until cool enough to peel. Peel the charred skin (do not rinse under water as this will remove flavor). Halve the chiles lengthwise, stem and seed. Cut the halves crosswise into one-eighth inch strips. Set aside.
5. Heat a large heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil, then the chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan, and add the chorizo to the stuffing mixture.
6. Stir the corn and onions into the pan and season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is crisp-tender and the onions have softened and are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it is aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the white wine and cook, scraping any bits of flavoring from the pan, until the white wine has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool slightly, then add to the stuffing mixture.
7. Gently toss in the cumin and Spanish paprika, and season the stuffing with one-fourth teaspoon salt, or to taste. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the stuffing. Drizzle 2 cups chicken broth over the stuffing and gently toss. Add additional broth as desired.
8. Place the stuffing in a buttered, 13-by-9-inch baking dish or casserole and place in the oven. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the cover and continue to bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is lightly toasted. Remove and serve.
Each of 8 servings: 772 calories; 25 grams protein; 49 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fiber; 55 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 89 mg. cholesterol; 1,491 mg. sodium.
