Pumpkin Pleasures

Not just for Halloween

Pumpkins are part of the hugely diverse family of squash, their orange balloon-like bodies growing on hillsides as a beacon of our culinary winter.

Try mashing cooked pumpkin flesh with carrots and sweet potatoes to top a veggie cottage pie. Caramelise moon-shaped slices with chilli, cardamom and cinnamon for a vegetable side to pork loin or chops. Roast with a stuffing of rice, peppers and chilli for a simple winter supper.

Baked Cod &
Pumpkin Coulis

The cubed flesh of half a medium pumpkin should do for this - sliced, peeled, with pith and seeds removed. Boil these in vegetable stock for 25 minutes (this protects its natural flavour), drain (keeping a little of the stock to thin the coulis if necessary) and blitz it in a blender or with a hand blender.

Add 4 tbsp of Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup, a pinch of cinnamon, 100ml of double cream, season and blitz again. If it is too thick, add a little stock and blitz to your taste. Simply bake, steam or grill a lovely piece of cod loin to serve on this simple, oh-so-tasty coulis of pumpkin.

 Pumpkin Tagine

Fry 2 roughly chopped onions in oil with 1 inch of grated ginger then add 500g of cubed pumpkin flesh (peeled, sliced, pith and seeds removed).

Add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 400ml of vegetable stock, 5 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup, 2 tbsp of our Chipottle Ketchup, 3 tbsp of Stokes Spiced Apricot Chutney (actually, make that 4), 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tbsp of Harissa seasoning powder and 1 tbsp of honey. Bring this all up to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes then add a handful of pitted olives and 100g of lentils.

Simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the lentils are cooked with a little crunch, the pumpkin is tender and the sauce is just delicious. Serve with a fluffy couscous and enjoy.

Pumpkin Frittata

Cube the flesh of half a medium pumpkin then spread the cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and a twist or two of dried Italian seasoning / herbs and bake in an oven, pre-heated to 200°C/Gas mark 7, for 20 minutes or until the pieces are tender right through.  

Beat 5 eggs in a large bowl with a handful of grated Cheddar cheese, season and add a splash of dry white wine.

Melt a good knob of butter in a pan frying pan. Cut 5 or 6 spring onion pieces into 6 cm strips and fry them with the pumpkin cubes for 3 minutes.

Add 3 tbsp of Stokes Chipottle Ketchup then pour the beaten cheese-eggs into the pan. Gently tip the pan front to back and side to side to mix the ingredients, covering the pumpkin and greens. Very gently, on a low heat, let the eggs cook through and begin to firm up.

After 8 minutes or so, pop the pan under a medium grill until the eggs set and the top begins to brown. Let it cool a little and serve with Stokes Garlic Mayonnaise.

Classic Pumpkin Soup

Finely chop 2 shallots and soften them gently in butter for 6 or 7 minutes before adding 800g of peeled, pith removed, cubed pumpkin flesh. Add a little more butter and caramelise it gently for 10 minutes, then add 650ml of vegetable stock and simmer, lid on, for 12 to 15  minutes until the flesh of the pumpkin is soft.

Blitz with a hand blender adding 150ml of double cream, 1 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce (for its heady spice) and 3 tbsp of our Tomato or Bloody Mary Ketchup. Blitz again and season.

I personally like to serve it at this stage for its beautiful flavour and rustic texture. For a softer finish (and if you've the patience) you can pass the soup through a sieve then serve.

Great Taste - not just for Halloween

Order your 'Pumpkin Pleasures' - HERE

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Ghoulish Grub - 
Trick-or-treat, cruel lanterns glare, with ghoulish grub for spooks to share - here.








Toms, Toms, Toms - 
Tomatoes are a core ingredient to many Stokes products as this heart-felt article reveals - here.








On Parade - 
The peacock's cry hails all visitors to Stokes and his colourful display is as natural as ours. Enjoy this - here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150