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Cooking with Tallyrand

RECIPE VEG - Pumpkin, how to cook

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pumpkins are not a vegetable greatly used in the UK which is a shame as they are such an amazing vegetable. They can be pureed (great as a baby food) roasted or baked. Whichever way you choose, it must be remembered they grow above the ground and therefore cook quite quickly, despite having a raw texture more akin to the potato.

personally I would never pre-cut and boil them, as they tend to become too watery 

they are incredibly nutritious. Being rich in vital anti-oxidants and vitamins A, C & E, very low in calories and recommended for controlling cholestrol

but how best to prepare and cook them? preparation of them can be fraught with danger if your not careful, so please take great care with the knife


 

storing

whole - store in a cool, dark, dry place 

cut     - if storing a cut pumpkin, ensure the seeds and strandy pulp has been removed. wrap in newspaper and leave in a cool, dark, dry place

 

preparation

the easiest way it to simply lay it flat on a chopping board and cut it half vertically, but this leaves two halves that can from here on in be difficult to handle. My preferred method is as follows

  • place the pumpkin on a chopping board, covered with a tea towel (this helps prevent slipping) 
  • with a knife long enough to reach the centre, insert the knife and cut it in half horizontally. Keep your spare hand on top of the pumpkin at all times applying a slight downward pressure to prevent pumpkin slipping and also to keep the hand out of the way of the blade
  • alternatively, once the initial cut is made, turn it on its end and cut in a downward movement rotating the pumpkin as you go 
  • with a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard (or toast them in the oven for a great snack item)
  • after scopping out the seeds, there may be residual strands of pulp left, scrape this out and discard

 

roasting

  • pre-heat oven to 220C
  • cut the half into neat even sized wedges and place into a roasting tray
  • drizzle with olive oil and season well with sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • one of the following may also be added
    • sliced or crushed garlic 
    • grated zest and the juice of a large orange 

 

baking

baking - my preferred method by far as it is easy, and concentrates the flavours

  • pre-heat oven to 180C
  • place the pumpkin half on a baking tray 
  • in the hollowed out centre place one of the following, depending on your own tastes; salted water, chicken or vegetable stock (oxo cube crumbled in boiling water) or orange juice, This will be absorbed and flavour the pumpkin as it cooks 
  • place into the oven and cook until tender. This can take 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the size and density of the pumpkin
  • remove when a knife can be easily inserted into it and it feels soft 

 

after cooking 

once removed from the oven, it can be

  • sliced into neat wedges for serving with your main course
  • turned over and peel removed (far easier to remove the peel now than when raw) and pureed in a blender with a little butter 
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