Our Best Autumnal Pumpkin Recipes

By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food

Around this time of year, far too much perfectly good food is wasted in the form of Halloween Jack-o-lanterns. All too often, pumpkins are used purely for their decorative charm, resulting in hollowed out skins carved with scary faces. The real horror however is the amount of this incredibly versatile vegetable that’s scraped straight in to the bin. Or nearly as bad – boiled with plenty of water and not much else to produce horrendously bland soups, the sort that probably gave pumpkins such a bad name in the first place.

Kobacha pumpkin tempura with spicy miso dressing by Hamish Brown – Executive Chef at ROKA Restaurants

Makes one sharing plate for 2-4 people

Ingredients

• Small Kobacha pumpkin, 1

For the tempura batter

• Tempura flour, 200g
• Potato starch, 50g
• Ice cold water, 300ml

For the spicy miso dressing

• Large egg yolks, 2
• Mirin, 20ml
• Rice grain vinegar, 80ml
• Grapeseed oil, 120ml
• White miso paste, 50g
• Sesame oil, 10ml
• Chili paste (sambal oelek), 10g
• Soya sauce, 20ml

To serve

• Roasted sesame seeds
• Spring onion

To prepare the pumpkin

1. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds, remove the green skin.
2. Cut into even wedges with the thick edge around 2cm.
3. Pre-heat a large pot or wok with oil around 9cm in depth to 200C.

To make the tempura batter

1. Add the water to the flour and starch and mix in a circular motion until combined, small lumps is fine.
2. Then batter should be reasonably thin and silky in texture (Water content may change check the tempura flour packet).

To make the spicy miso dressing

1. Whisk the yolks, mirin and vinegar.
2. Add the miso and whisk then slowly add the oils as if making mayonnaise.
3. Add chili and soya and season with salt if required.

To assemble

1. Fry the Kobacha pumpkin in the tempura batter ensuring that the batter is nice and crisp and the pumpkin is cooked, around 4 minutes in the oil then drain to remove the excess oil.
2. Arrange the wedges on the serving plate and spoon the dressing over.
3. Finish with some roasted sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onions.

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Thai pumpkin and coconut curry by Owen Sullivan – Head Chef at Maze Grill Park Walk, London 

You can keep this vegetarian or add chicken or beef at the end of cooking to make a more protein rich meal.

Ingredients

• Pumpkin flesh, 600g
• Onion, 1
• Coriander, 1 bunch
• Lime, 1
• Coconut milk, 1 tin
• Thai green curry paste, 2tbsp
• Vegetable stock, 300ml

Method

1. Start by dicing the pumpkin, and slicing the onion. In a saucepan with medium heat, cook the onion and pumpkin in a little butter, then add the green curry paste.
2. Add the vegetable stock to the saucepan and boil until pumpkin is tender (about 10mins) with a stick blender pulse the curry sauce base so the texture is smooth and broken down. Add the coconut milk and herbs and season with lime zest and juice, salt and pepper.
3. Now you have the base to the curry you can add pretty much whatever you like. Chicken, beef, turkey, potatoes, or any left over meats.

Note: Thai Green Curry paste – you can buy this from the supermarket but the best ones around are from the Asian markets as they’re most authentic, while there you should also purchase the coconut milk and coriander, Thai basil, bean sprouts and Thai aubergines are also available if you want to make the dish fully authentic but not compulsory.

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Pan fried pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter, sage, golden raisins and pine nuts by Ben Tish – Chef Director of Salt Yard Group

These delicious morsels are easy to make and can be served as a tapa, as in this case, (photo above) or as an accompaniment to a larger meal. When buying a pumpkin for this you should look for a small heavy variety such as an Iron Bark. These will have less water content and so will yield more flesh and have a much sweeter, intense flavour. Butternut squash could be substituted.

Serves 8 as a tapa

Ingredients

• Diced pumpkin, 200g, skin in tact and seeds removed
• 00 pasta flour, 70g
• Large free-range egg, 1
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil, for cooking
• Sage leaves, 16
• Unsalted butter, 100g
• Golden raisins, 20g, soaked
• Toasted pine nuts, 15g
• Lemon, ½, juiced

Method

1. Heat an oven to 200C.
2. Lay the diced pumpkin over a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and then drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven until the pumpkin is tender and sweet. While hot pass the pumpkin through a sieve into a bowl, the skins will remain in the sieve.
3. Mix in the flour and egg and incorporate well. Season to taste and reserve.
4. Set a pan of water over a high heat and bring to the boil.
5. With two spoons shape the gnocchi mix into “quenelles” and drop them into the boiling water. When they rise to the surface they are cooked and should be removed onto a tray with a slotted spoon. Repeat until the mix is finished.
6. Heat a large non-stick pan to a high heat. Add the butter and cook until it starts to foam. Place in the gnocchi and the sage and sauté until the gnocchi are browned and hot and the sage has crisped up. By this stage the butter will have turned a nut-brown colour, when this happens add a squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. This will arrest the cooking process of the butter and stop it from burning.
7. Divide the gnocchi onto four plated and spoon over the browned butter and sage leaves.
8. Finally finish the plates with some toasted pine nuts and soaked golden raisins.

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Spiced Pumpkin Punch by Ryan Osnowski – Bar Manager at The Hinds Head, Bray

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree, 30ml (recipe below)
Agave, 1 bar spoon
Lemon juice, 25ml
Bourbon, 50ml, (Woodford reserve or four roses yellow label) – something not too expensive
Ginger Wash, 50ml, (recipe below – alternatively use ginger beer, either Fentiman’s or Jamaican)
Fresh grated ginger, ½tsp
Ground cinnamon, ½tsp

For the Ginger Wash

Fresh ginger root, 1kg, peeled and chopped
Cucumber, 1, chopped
Red chillies, 2, chopped,
Fresh mint leaves, 1 cup
Brown sugar, 1 cup
Honey, ½ cup
Water, 2 cups
Lemon juice, ½ cup
Black peppercorns, 1tsp

To make the puree pumpkin

1. Take the flesh from the pumpkin and blend till a smooth puree not to thin and not too thick. You can flavour the puree with the grated ginger and cinnamon if you like.

To make the Ginger Wash

1. Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow the ingredients to cool over night and strain through a sieve or muslin. (Keep in a fridge, will keep for 5 days)

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 20 seconds or until the shaker becomes very cold.
2. Strain ingredients into a rocks glass over ice, garnish with a cinnamon stick and two sage leaves.

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Homemade pumpkin spiced latte by CRU Kafe

“There’s nothing like pumpkin to add some colour to the grey autumnal weather.

This time of year brings us this versatile savory sweet vegetable in abundance. Mostly it’s a bright orange store of sunlight with hearty, nurturing and delicious flesh. All this means we usually end up with a glut at this time of year, especially if you’re buying a few to decorate the house for Halloween.

One great way to make the most of pumpkin (other than force feeding your family pumpkin soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner) is to prepare syrup from the flesh and combine it with seasonal spices. You could use this for all sorts of things, from cocktails to dessert toppings, but my favourite use is to make a warming spiced pumpkin latte.

For the coffee in the base, I use two shots of espresso – specifically, two CRU Dark Roast espresso pods, as I love the way the crema (that rich golden layer that sits atop good espresso) works with the syrup and cream to create an indulgent, moreish coffee.

If you don’t have a machine that will take CRU pods, have a look at Merlin’s guide to making a cheat’s espresso at home. 

This spiced pumpkin latte is absolutely perfect as a little reward for a hard day’s work in winter, and works even better with a shot of brandy in it. Serve it at the end of a dinner party and your guests will think you’re a genius.”

Ingredients

For the syrup (enough for 8 – 10 spiced pumpkin lattes)

• Small pumpkin, 1
• Water, 400ml
• Maple syrup, 200mlA
• gave syrup, 250ml
• Ground ginger, 6tsp
• Cinnamon, 4 sticks
• Whole cloves, 2tsp
• Nutmeg, 1tsp

For each drink

• CRU Dark Roast blend espresso (or equivalent), 2 shots
• Syrup, 6tbsp
• Double cream, 1 tbsp

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Skin and dice the small pumpkin, then roast it in a baking tray with no seasonings until slightly golden. Put it hot into a liquidizer with 50ml of the agave syrup and blitz.
3. Place all the ingredients along with pumpkin puree into a saucepan and stir while bringing to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes.
4. Strain the syrup through a muslin cloth or fine sieve and set aside.
5. Place 2 shots of CRU espresso into a glass (approximately 70ml). Then add 6tbsp of syrup into the coffee. Lightly whip the cream and add a teaspoon to the coffee, then grate over a little nutmeg to garnish. Boom!

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Pumpkin Waffles by Dirty Bones

Makes approximately 8 waffles

Ingredients

For the spiced pumpkin purée

• Pumpkin flesh, 200g
• Garlic cloves, 2, peeled
• Red pepper, ½, seeded
• Unsalted butter, 25g, melted
• Garam masala powder, ½tsp

For the waffles

• Spiced pumpkin purée, 90g
• Eggs, 2
• Plain flour, 240g, sifted
• Semi-skimmed milk, 425ml
• Unsalted butter, 120g, clarified, plus a little for greasing
• Sugar, 1 tbsp
• Baking powder, 3tsp
• Salt, a pinch

Method

1. To clarify the butter, slowly melt it on a low heat being careful not to allow it to boil.
2. When fully melted, set this aside and allow the fats to separate and the buttermilk to sink to the bottom. Carefully pour the clarified butter that sits on the top into a separate container.
3. Weigh out the dry ingredients and set aside.
4. Lightly whisk the eggs until frothy, then gradually add the milk.
5. Sieve in all of the dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth.

To make the pumpkin purée

1. Boil the pumpkin flesh in lightly salted water until tender, strain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, roast the pepper with the garlic at 170c in the oven until soft. When soft place the pepper and garlic in a blender along with the pumpkin, garam masala powder and clarified butter and blend until smooth.

To make the waffles

1. Add the clarified butter slowly whilst whisking, and finally gently stir in the spiced pumpkin puree.
2. To cook, pre-heat the waffle iron on setting 4.5 (can also be cooked in a non-stick pan on a low heat if you don’t have one).
3. Grease the waffle iron with a little clarified butter or vegetable oil, and pour in a thin layer of batter. Cook until the waffle iron beeps or the waffles are golden brown and just cooked through. Perfect served hot, with chilli infused maple syrup and fried chicken.

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Smashing Pumpkin Fizz by Mauro Frisulli – Bar Manager of House 21, Home House, London

Ingredients

• Ketel One Vodka, 35ml
• Xante Pear Cognac Liqueur, 12.5ml
• Pumpkin syrup, 10ml
• Pumpkin purée, 25ml
• Pumpkin spice, a pinch
• Champagne, to top

To Garnish

• Dried pear chip

Method

1. Mix all of the ingredients together, except the champagne, with some crushed ice in a highball glass.
2. Next, top with champagne and garnish with the dried pear chip.

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Orrechetti pasta, pumpkin, sage and Berkswell from Oblix, London

Ingredients

• Pumpkin, 250g, for juicing
• Ginger, 5g
• Green chilli, ¼
• Pumpkin seeds, toasted
• Pumpkin, diced
• Sage, diced
• Parsley, chopped
• Lemon zest
• Berkswell cheese shavings
• Orrechietti pasta (80g for a side portion)
• Brown butter

Method

1. Juice the pumpkin, ginger, green chilli through a vegetable juicer. Do not strain.
2. Blanche the pasta in boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Refresh in cold water.
3. Dice the pumpkin into ¾cm dice and blanche in boiling salted water until tender.
4. Toast the pumpkin seeds off until golden using a small amount of olive oil and salt.
5. Place 3tbsp of brown butter in a saucepan along with 100g of Orrechietti pasta. Once the pasta is hot and coated in the butter add the Pumpkin dice and seeds. Add the Pumpkin juice, once the juice has emulsified with the brown butter it will thicken, if the Pumpkin and brown butter sauce is not quite thick enough add a knob of butter until it reaches the correct consistency.
6. Finish the pasta with the chopped parsley, sage and shavings of Berkswell cheese.
7. Finally add a few leaves of deep fried sage leaves and grated lemon zest.