Don’t get pie-eyed

Use that pumpkin more constructively

By Kathy Gunst

BIG ORANGE SQUASH: make the most of your pumpkin season.

Even though my daughters are almost too old to go trick-or-treating this year, certain Halloween rituals endure in our household. Pumpkins will always have a place in our home; brought inside from the garden and ready for carving. The designs have gotten more elaborate over the years — moving from a simple, toothy grinned fool to artistic renditions of ears, cheeks, and carved eyes with ghoulish expressions, funky brows, and elongated noses. We scoop out the seeds and roast them — our one ode to healthy eating on the holiday of sugar excess. Between bites of Tootsie Rolls and Milky Ways, we much on roasted pumpkin seeds with a splash of tamari or sea salt — crispy, crunchy and full of fiber. Come November first, the pumpkins with the carved faces get chucked into the compost heap. Those that have been spared from the carving knife are saved to decorate the Thanksgiving table.

Several years ago I had a revelation. Several baby sugar pumpkins were lining the window sill, getting ready to rot when I remembered that pumpkin is food. Oh sure, most people love pumpkin pie, pumpkin custard, and pumpkin cookies, but who actually thinks about cutting open the awkward orange vegetable and actually making a meal from it?

I got out my biggest, sharpest knife and sliced a good-sized pumpkin into sections. (Revelation # 1: pumpkins are not easy to cut open. The skin is tough and you need to be careful of your fingers.) I scooped out all the fibrous goo (Revelation # 2: Uck! Uck!). I then removed all the seeds, setting them aside for roasting (Revelation # 3: it’s not easy separating the seeds from the aforementioned fibery goo). After all the processing, I was left with beautiful, orange-hued squash.

It was the first truly cold night of the year, the final leaves whipping around the lawn, a darkness creeping into my kitchen that spoke of the next season to come. I needed something delicious and comforting to eat, and I needed it soon.

Separating pumpkin flesh from the thick skin is yet another hindrance to cooking with pumpkin, so I simply grated the meat from the skin using a regular cheese grater (which, by the way, is a great technique for any recipe that calls for fresh pumpkin flesh). I took my pile of grated pumpkin flesh and began to make a pumpkin risotto. Not the great American dish, I know, but when it comes to facing the onslaught of winter there are few foods as deeply satisfying and delicious as this Italian rice classic.

Risotto is a dish that requires love, time, and care. It’s a dish to make for someone you really like. You need to talk and stir the rice, and talk and stir the rice . . . and finally you have the most gorgeous, irresistible dish imaginable. The pumpkin gives the rice a subtly sweet flavor and beautiful orange hue. You can always have candy for dessert!

Pumpkin and Sage Risotto

You’ll need a few tablespoons of good, dry white wine for the risotto. Choose something delicious that you’ll want to drink with dinner. The recipe makes enough risotto for four normal people or two rice-lovers. Serve with warm crusty bread and an autumn salad of spinach leaves and pear slices.

About 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1.5 cups grated fresh pumpkin, see directions above

1.5 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 cup short-grained rice, preferably Arborio

.25 cup dry white wine (a good, dry Italian wine works best)

About 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the broth in a medium saucepan and keep at a simmer.

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and sauté about eight minutes, or until soft but not brown. Add the grated pumpkin and sauté another five minutes. Add the sage. Add the rice and sauté, stirring constantly, for about a minute. Raise the heat to high and add the wine. Let simmer about 30 seconds, reduce the heat to low, and add the broth, half a cup at a time, stirring frequently. Don’t add more broth until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir almost constantly. After the two cups of broth have been absorbed the ricer should be tender; add more broth if needed. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Don’t throw out the seeds — roast them instead

Cut the top off of the pumpkin to make a hole large enough to carve out the insides. Using a spoon scoop out the flesh, separating the seeds from the stringy fibers. Place the seeds into a large bowl of cold water. The seeds will float to the surface, while the pulp sinks. Place seeds on towel to dry overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the seeds on a lightly oiled baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt, tamari, or soy sauce (you can also sprinkle with cayenne, curry, cumin powder, ginger, or cinnamon) and coat on both sides. Bake five to eight minutes, flip the seeds over with a spatula, and bake another five to 10 minutes, or until golden brown on each side. Remove and let cool thoroughly before placing in an airtight container.