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Australia
I ran away from teaching to the country to grow veggies. There are also some chooks and a pair of troublesome goats who were so much trouble they had to go! My simple green life isn't always as simple or as green as I'd like...but I keep trying!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Great Pumpkin Challenge

I was gloating over the booty from the pumpkin patch
and making The Cook admire them and we
began to list the ways we could use the pumpkins.


Now I know that some people who read this blog probably think pumpkins are only fit to feed to animals or to hollow out for Halloween...we would like to try to change your mind.

So we have 
The Great Pumpkin Challenge
We will bring you twenty, that's right folks, 
T-W-E-N-T-Y recipes for this versatile veggie. 

Actually, I set the challenge for The Cook but she says I have to help...
it isn't enough to just grow beautiful veggies apparently!



Then Cook pointed out that she has had a bit of head start.
Pumpkin recipe # 1  Roast Pumpkin and Green Bean Salad
has already appeared on the blog.





Pumpkin Recipe #2 - Roast Pumpkin Risotto 
Recipe Source: allrecipes.com.au

For this recipe I used one of the heirloom pottimaron.  It had lovely firm, bright orange flesh.
In the past I have used butternut squash with equal success...I just wanted an excuse to cut one of the pottimaron.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2.5cm cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
2 teaspoons rosemary leaves
4 cups chicken stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method

  • Toss pumpkin cubes in olive oil and bake on a tray until tender and just browning.

  • Prepare the stock and have it hot on the stove.
  • Saute onion and rosemary leaves in a large saucepan.
  • Add rice and cook for 4 minutes...stirring all the time.
  • Add half of the baked pumpkin (it will break down and colour the risotto).

  • Add stock one ladle at a time, stirring all the while.
  • Continue until the rice is cooked and creamy.
  • Add parmesan
  • Season to taste
  • Add half of remaining pumpkin and gently stir through.
  • Serve on a layer of rocket/arugula and sprinkle with remaining pumpkin cubes.

I added dry roasted pinenuts for a nutty crunch

Variations
  • Add chopped bacon with the onions at the start.
  • Stir through dry roasted pine nuts at the end.
  • Add chopped spinach close to the end of cooking.
  • Add half a cup of peas or corn kernels
  • If you aren't too worried about your arteries stir through some butter with the parmesan...it makes the risotto extra creamy.




A good risotto, I think, should be creamy but able to hold a bit of height when served...it should gently slump...not run all over the plate.


After you have cooked, eaten and cleaned up, 
don't forget to recycle the pips and peel.





18 comments:

  1. Looks delicious Hazel!
    I love pumpkin risotto, especially with pine nuts, spinach and feta!! mmmmm

    Do all your fluffy bottomed girls like peelings? Mine don't!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can I enter? I reckon you'll get to 20 so easily, can I make it harder by adding a couple? Pumpkin is well underrated - good for sweet things (my favourite is Pumpkin Spice Pudding Cake) and savoury thins (hard to pick a favourite, but Pumpkin and Cheese Patties are up there.

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  3. We love Pumpkins..my children LURVE pumpkin soup..heres are a few pumpkin delights we have blogged about

    http://farmgirl67.blogspot.com/2010/10/pumpkin-cheesecake-bars.html

    http://farmgirl67.blogspot.com/2008/03/pumpkin-cheesecake-sourcream-topping.html

    http://farmgirl67.blogspot.com/2006/10/pumpkin-chocchip-scones.html

    http://farmgirl67.blogspot.com/2008/02/italian-pumpkin-cheese-bakecrumb.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. Now that's just not fair! The day after I pull up my failed pumpkin crop, you rub my nose in it and feature lots of yummy recipes. Hmph.

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  5. Oh my goodness Hazel, I am dying with envy over here at your beautiful, beautiful pumpkins - they are just fabulous. You must be bursting with pride... now as for your recipes, I am interested to see how the cook does her pumpkin soup, as I reckon mine is the best that I have ever tasted... seriously, I am no cook, but my pumpkin soup - unbeatable. Consider my gauntlet thrown cook!

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  6. We like pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter when we have pumpkins available (which should be soon).

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  7. Oh yummmmmmmmmmmm I love pumpkin risotto! And pumpkin scones...and pumpkin soup (with half a pear in it, always)...and pumpkin bread...and pumpkin gnocci...and and and and!
    Cook I like your new toy ;)

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  8. I do like the look of the pumpkin risotto, looks and sounds really yummy. I might try that for the weekend!

    Mind you as autumn is approaching there you can do some sort of reverse Halloween display, Jack-O-Lantern in April :-)

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  9. I can see cook making pumpkin bread, yum.
    Last year I cooked, dried and spiced the seeds. It takes a bit of time but they were delicious.

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  10. You have certainly done well with your pumpkin harvest Hazel, Anything orange usually attracts my attention and your Pumpkins are beauties...I'm thinking Sunday Roast with Pumpkin on the side!!! :)

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  11. I love the photos of all you pumpkins and pumpkin recipes. I have had a pumpkin gnocchi at a local restaurant and it was really delicious. One pumpkin dish to leave off your pumpkin recipe cook-off is boiled mashed pumpkin. My mum used to make this and it was always cold and yucky...but don't my mum I said so.

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  12. Yummy-licious. Pumpkin in vegetable curry is delicious. Pumpkin goes together very well with cocomut milk too.

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  13. Great idea. Pumpkin / Squash is one of my favourite veggies - and so versatile too. I'm looking forward to seeing the other recipes.

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  14. This is great Hazel - thanks! I thought I knew a lot of pumkin recipes but have learnt a few more. We have a few pumpkins atm, but they pale in comparison to your bounty.

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  15. Thank you all for your recipe suggestions. I am sure some of them will make it into the challenge list. I have added a sidebar gadget so you can click on the recipe and find it on the blog easily.

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  16. Phoebe. The chooks have different tastes. Some like snails, some don't they all love bread and bakery items and will happily eat cucumbers and corn. They don't like peelings much. Irene was actually going after the pumpkin pulp and seeds. But the goats loved the peel and it was very hard to get photos as it disappeared so quickly into their mouths.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm eating pumpkin vine tips this week.

    2 nights ago, I made stir fry of 3 different "spinach" leaves from the permaculture garden I'm a member of, mixed with chopped green pawpaw, sweet potato vine tips and basil. I loved it. So this weekend I'm going to collect more, add pumpkin tips and try chilli leaves too.

    ReplyDelete
  18. what a yummy challenge - Oh I look forward to collecting some more pumpkin recipes. Especially since I have fifteen baby butternut already on my vines! so exciting

    ReplyDelete

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