Pumpkin: the all-rounder in the kitchen
Low in calories, rich in nutrients, varied in form and colour and tasty too – pumpkins are all-rounders in the kitchen. Much more can be made from them than the standard creamy soup.
Risen up the ranks
The humble pumpkin has risen up the ranks: whilst once looked upon as food for the poor and confined to industrial use as a means to stretch fruit spreads, pumpkin today is a firm favourite in any vegetarian buffet and has even made its way into the repertoire of high-end gourmet restaurants.
An all-rounder in the kitchen
No wonder: pumpkins are unbeatably versatile. Because their own taste is subtle, they can easily be paired with other ingredients and spices. There’s practically nothing that can’t be cooked from pumpkins, with the popular classics being purée, risotto and soup.
But pumpkins are also tasty eaten raw, e.g. shredded in salads or blended in a smoothie.
They make a great ingredient for breads or muffins, and also work well as a sweet mousse or fruity sorbet. Anyone looking for a delicious warm meal in autumn need look no further: simply brush pumpkin slices with olive oil, season, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake in the oven. A slice of bread is enough to perfect this quick and easy meal.
Tasty and healthy
Pumpkins taste delicious in all imaginable variations. They are also digestible and healthy:
- They consist of 90 percent water and are therefore low in calories.
- Pumpkins also contain numerous minerals such as iron and potassium.
- Pumpkin seeds have a particularly high concentration of vitamins, minerals and protein. Peeled and roasted, they form the ideal snack and are a popular topping for mueslis, soups and salads.
The orange-coloured flesh is rich in beta-carotene.
- The body converts this provitamin into vitamin A, which helps to keep the skin and mucous membranes healthy and contributes to good eyesight.
Astonishing variety
The pumpkin is one of the oldest cultivated plants on earth. Like aubergines or cucumbers, they are fruit vegetables, i.e. vegetable plants with edible fruits growing above ground. Creative cooks also like to use the sprouts, flowers and leaves of the pumpkin plant. There are several hundred varieties of pumpkin, differing in shape, colour and size. The following varieties are particularly popular and well-known:
Also known as the ‘orange umbrella’. It is bulb-shaped and stands out due to its orange-red skin. It is particularly nutritious because it can be eaten with its skin. Its bright yellow, firm flesh tastes a bit like carrot.
This pumpkin looks like a beige dumbbell. Laborious peeling is also unnecessary with this variety, as the skin is so tender that you can eat it too. It earns marks for its flesh volume and nutty aroma.
This mini pumpkin has the shape of a flying saucer. Some people call it Bishop’s Mitre. Patty pans are cream, golden yellow or green patterned. The general guideline is: the smaller, the better. Harvested young, they can be eaten with skin and seeds.
Also known as Musque de Provence. It is a roundish flat heavyweight weighing several kilograms with a ribbed skin. The tasty, yellow-orange flesh can be used for practically everything – from patties to chutney and gnocchi. In shops and at markets, it is often sold in segments.
Long and oval in shape, with yellow, smooth or green-striped skin. Don't buy ones that are too large. Its name doesn't come by chance: cooked in water or baked in the oven (whole or halved), the flesh can be removed with a fork in long threads – spaghetti with a difference.
Also popular in autumn are small ornamental pumpkins, which keep for a long time. Unlike edible pumpkins, however, they cannot be eaten because they contain the poisonous bitter substance cucurbitacin.
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Barley risotto with pumpkin
Ingredients (for 2 persons)
- 1/3 of a butternut squash
- 1.5 tbsp. olive oil
- 200 g mushrooms
- 2 tbsp. walnuts
- 1 small piece of butter
- 3 sprigs of sage
- 60 g barley
- 1 small bag of spinach
- 80 g Gorgonzola
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Put barley in boiling water and cook according to packet instructions. While this is cooking, de-seed the pumpkin and cut into small dice. Clean and quarter the mushrooms. Pick sage leaves from stalks.
- Place the diced pumpkin in a large pan with olive oil and fry until brown. Add a little salt and pepper. Continue frying the pumpkin. After approx. 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the pumpkin is soft.
- Move the vegetables to one side of the pan. In the other, quickly heat the butter with the sage until foaming. Add the barley and spinach to the pan and mix.
- Serve the barley risotto sprinkled with crumbled Gorgonzola and walnuts.
Tips for storage
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Pumpkins should be stored dry and cool. How long they can be kept depends on the variety: spaghetti squashes last a few weeks, hokkaidos up to four months, butternuts up to one year.
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Sliced pumpkin halves can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. First remove the seeds and fibrous flesh, and wrap in cling film.
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It is also possible to freeze pumpkin, but only cooked: either as a purée or as steamed slices or cubes still firm to the bite. Use within six months.
