Autumn Special: Six Quick Wins with Pumpkins

Subtly spicy and crispy pumpkin "fries"

Perhaps, like us, you have a pumpkin harvest to make use of, or maybe you just got a little carried away carving Jack'o'lanterns... whatever the reason, there is absolutely no excuse for throwing away nutritious pumpkin flesh. Not with these recipes on hand:

Pumpkin "Fries"

• Peel and slice your pumpkin into fries
• Sprinkle with soy sauce on all sides
• Toss in a mixture that is half cornmeal (polenta) and half wheat flour with a generous amount of garam masala powder
• Spread in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 200C until cooked through inside and crispy outside. 
• Pair with your favourite creamy or tangy dip and dig in!

Pumpkin and Sage Gnocchi (gluten free)

600g (raw weight) peeled and diced pumpkin flesh

A large handful of fresh sage leaves

150g buckwheat flour

A little olive oil

Sea salt to taste (I used 1 1/2 tsps)

• Bake the pumpkin until soft with the oil and leave to cool.
• Add to the food processor with the sage leaves until you get a dry puree and the leaves are chopped.
• Add the buckwheat flour and salt. The mixture should be dry enough to form into balls with damp hands. The denser your type of pumpkin the easier the purée will be to handle; if it's a little sticky just dust with more buckwheat flour.
• Roll into balls and flatten with the back of a fork/ slotted spatula. I made about 24.
• Drop into boiling water and simmer until they are all floating- 5-10 minutes. They are now ready to use. I baked mine in a tomato and sage sauce topped with cubes of almond feta (see here for the feta recipe).

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If you would prefer to make something sweet, try:

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

..And of course no pumpkin recipe collection would be complete without a couple of soup recipes!

Kabocha Coconut Soup

Roast Pumpkin and Parsnip Soup with Rosemary