A Pumpkin a day . . .

Diane Eros

I really enjoy pumpkin pie. It’s perfect with a dollop of whipped cream on top, and a dollop of whipped cream in my coffee.

This I’ll have for breakfast and I won’t regret it for a second. I don’t even think it’s bad for you. Though pumpkins are technically fruit, they are in my mind a vegetable. And who eats vegetables for breakfast? Only the health-obsessed. (I know what you’re thinking: what’s next, celery sticks for dessert?)

OK, I’m being delusional on purpose. Eating pumpkin pie with a pound of whipped cream for breakfast is probably (definitely) a really bad habit. This is unfortunate, but I still wholeheartedly promote pumpkin pie. I thought about including a pumpkin pie recipe but decided that anyone who ever wanted to bake pumpkin pie already has a recipe.

Instead of pie, I am including a pumpkin feast recipe: a main course and a dessert, all with one single pumpkin. A seasonably themed dinner, shall we say.

The pumpkins I have been getting are local Manitoba pie pumpkins. I get them at Organza, at Confusion Corner, and they are insanely cheap. For this recipe I recommend a 1 or 2 kg-pumpkin. Make sure the skin is bright orange (indicating ripeness) and that the stem is still well attached (indicating non-rottenness).

First, a quick lesson in baking a pumpkin: Simply cut it in half down the middle and scoop out its innards. Leave the skin intact. Place the halves cut-side down on a baking sheet with half a centimeter of water. Bake uncovered at 176 C for 60-90 minutes, or until the flesh is very soft. Keep in mind that the following recipe calls for an unbaked half, so don’t throw both halves in the oven if you plan to try both recipes.

Main Course: Spicy Pumpkin and Sausage

(modified from a recipe in Simply in Season, a wonderful local food cookbook commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee)

½ pumkin, unbaked, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, diced

hot chili peppers, finely chopped to taste

1 tablespoon curry paste (optional)

Sauté in olive oil in a large saucepan until the onions are cooked through. Cover with a lid and cook until pumpkin is soft (10 minutes or so).

1 cup broth

Add and cook uncovered at a low heat for an additional 10 minutes.

1 cup pre-fried sausage (of your choice)

salt and pepper to taste

Add and simmer until the liquid is reduced.

Serve over hot rice.

Dessert: Crunchy

Pumpkin Flax Cookies

Preheat oven to 150 C.

Dry ingredients:

2 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup raisins

½ cup flax, whole seed

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Wet ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar (may be reduced to ¾ or ½ cup, depending on taste)

½ cup honey

¾ cup softened butter

With an electric mixer, blend until smooth.

1 egg

1 cup puréed baked pumpkin (the half pumpkin will probably yield more than a cup. Double the recipe, or freeze excess baked pumpkin for next time)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend into sugar mixture, until smooth. Add dry ingredients and blend at low speed, until well mixed. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes.