Pumpkins!

If you are anything like me, then the month of Halloween means access to Pumpkins. Not only are these squashes great to carve, but they make great meals too.

Many people carve their pumpkin for Halloween night and then leave them out in the garden after, or throw them away. Here are a few ideas to get the best out of the pumpkin season.

Make Soup. For me, soup is a lovely autumnal dish. Warming on a cold rainy day, it is very simple to make. My last pumpkin soup was made using half a small pumpkin, some potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions and leaks. I like my pumpkin soup to be orange or dark yellow, so I pick the orange and red vegetables to go into the soup with the pumpkin. After cooking on the stove in water, I then use my blender to liquidise the mix, and then add salt and pepper. You can also use a green Oxo to add flavoring, and add coriander to taste.

Make a crumble: I love this as a dessert! I chop up apples and pumpkin and put them together into a dish. I put in some sugar and some cinnamon, and place the crumble mix on top. The recipe for crumble is simple – equal amounts of plain flour, unsalted butter and caster sugar. I also add in some vanilla to the crumble mix. This can be either vanilla essence or vanilla seeds from a pod. Some people keep a pod in their sugar so that it already has a vanilla flavour.

Toast the seeds: This is a family favourite! I usually just pick the seeds out of the pulp and place them on a baking tray and spread them out. I usually just put a touch of salt and pepper and place in the oven on 180 degrees. Toast for about 15 minutes, but check at regular intervals and turn them over so that they toast evenly.

cooking pumpkin soup