The Final Pumpkin Recipe.......#itmightjustwork

It's Halloween and there have been children trick or treating for the last few hours and now there are fireworks going crazy all around us and I am about to give you the final, very special recipe.

 

But first a bit about how I got this recipe.

This year has been amazing, incredible and beyond belief. I have met some extraordinary people and done some extraordinary things. I have met and been humbled by people, amazed at their generosity of spirit and by how excited they are when they hear about Incredible Edible Bristol and how keen they are to get involved. I have been bowled over by kindness and moved to tears by stories of personal change. and i have spent a lot of the year wondering how this is where I am, whilst thoroughly appreciating that place.

So imagine that earlier this year I saw that Pete Lawrence, an allotment holder in Bristol, had just published a book and I cheekily asked for a review copy. Which he duly sent and I duly reviewed. It's a great book and the review is here. Of course at that point I had no idea of his background at the BBC or that he was setting up a production company or that we would end up doing any work together. But that is what has happened and you will be able to see the results the week before Christmas when it goes out on BBC1!!
 He's going to kill me but here's Ross!!

Without wanting to give the plot away, it highlights the work of our amazing volunteer gardeners, what volunteering with Incredible Edible has meant for them and how it has changed their lives, and it creates a stunning new garden in a community space for a community that will really appreciate it and use it for positive change.

 

Whilst working on this project I met Dave Myers, one half of the Hairy Bikers and a genuinely nice bloke who has been amazingly supportive and kind ever since we met. Cheekily on the last day we chatted about my pumpkin recipes and he promised me a recipe which, as yet is unpublished, but will be coming to a Hairy Bikers recipe book in a store near you soon!!

So cheers Dave! It's a pleasure to have worked with you. And cheers also to the lovely Pete, who is struggling to edit the programme as I type and who without lots of these opportunities this year would never have happened. I look forward to working with you more!!

 

But more than that, a huge thanks here goes out to Ross, volunter and pal extraordinaire, with whom this experience and others have been shared this year. A great guy who's story will touch you and who we will, I know, make a great gardener out of.

And here is the recipe!!

CHAPTER 8 SPICY CHICKEN 

Caribbean Chicken and Pumpkin Curry

This curry is very English Caribbean – no coriander, just Mediterranean herbs, so if you want a herb garnish, parsley is traditional. Traditionally this recipe is made with potato but we have found pumpkin and squash make great  additions to the recipe instead!!

A mixture of drumsticks and thighs, skinned BUT ON the bone

Juice of 1 lime

1 scotch bonnet, deseeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated

3 cm piece of ginger, grated

3 sprigs of thyme or 1 tbsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1 tbsp spice mix or medium curry powder

2 tbsp olive or coconut oil

1 large onion, sliced

300ml chicken stock

50g creamed coconut (the sort in a block)

1 tbsp rum or brandy

500 gms pumpkin in 2 cm cubes

For the spice mix:

2 tbsp coriander seed

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp mustard seeds

2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1cm piece cinnamon

1 clove

½ tsp allspice berries

2 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp garlic powder

Put the chicken in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the scotch bonnet, garlic cloves, ginger, thyme, bay leaves and spice mix. Stir to coat – if you are brave, you will get much better results if you rub it in with your hands, but be careful because of the scotch bonnet. Leave for at least an hour, but preferably over night.

Heat the oil in a large casserole. Add the onion and cook for several minutes until starting to soften. Add the chicken and stir until the chicken is lightly browned. Sprinkle over the spice mix or curry powder and stir.

Pour over the chicken stock and add the pumkin. Stir in the creamed coconut. Leave to cook, covered, on a low heat for around 45 minutes, until the chicken is falling off the bone. Add a little more water if necessary.

When the chicken is cooked through, stir in the rum and simmer for a few more minutes.

To make the spice mix, toast all the whole spices in a frying pan until they smell aromatic. Immediately transfer them to a plate to cool, then to a fine powder. Mix with the turmeric and garlic powder. Makes more than you need, but it will store in a jar for a few months.

 

The joy of the pumpkin....

A long time ago I visited the Chelsea Physic Garden for the 1st time. It's a garden I'm always blown away by. The history of the garden, it's links to so many events in garden history including those links to  the plant hunters who are still to this day responsible for so many of the plants we grow in our gardens, always makes me feel that I am wandering through the corridors of British garden history. But on this occasion I came away with two real interests. The first was that I should discover more about the Salvia family, after spending time with the collection in one of the gardens greenhouses, and the second was to explore pumpkin and squash growing more.

In the garden there were different varieties of Japanese squash growing up tripods, with fruit beginning to form and I was mesmerised not just by the new varieties of food in front of my eyes, but also at their beauty.

 

So not being one to waste time, I ordered lots of seeds and got growing the following year. I'm guessing this was the late 90s and in our corner of leafy Bucks few folk grew these varieties and we had lots of interest from our neighbouring plot holders, particularly when we started planting into our compost heaps!

We grew them up tripods, across beds and in all our compost heaps. And we had a great harvest and we swore to grow more, experiment with new varieties and try lots of different ways of cooking with the flesh. It's fair to say I was hooked.

Nearly 20 years later the excitement of choosing which varieties we are going to grow in the year ahead is still palpable. We grow our favourites each year but always try to add something new, to add to the excitement of the harvest. The great thing about pumpkins and squash is they all taste different and so lend themselves to particular recipe types. And there isn't one that's disappointed us.

 

And to grow them? Well ideally they need a nice long season so we sow in March in modules  and keep them under protection until the roots have filled the modules. They then get potted into 1ltr containers as I feel 9cm is filled to quickly and who wants to spend their lives potting up? They then get put back under protection until early to mid May depending on the weather. Once all signs of frosty nights are gone, they go into the ground, with a thick layer of compost around them, and after a few weeks they romp away, not taking any notice of allotment boundaries, paths or roads. In good soil, full of rich humus, they need little attention other than plenty of water, but if you do see yellowing leaves, a good feed of a seaweed solution will soon sort them out.

What we always do is stop them growing at some point in August by cutting out the growing tips and this really helps with production of the fruits, and encourages them to ripen. 

Recently I was asked which are my have to have varieties, and I have to admit to always growing Turks Turban, Baby Bear, Jack O'Lantern, Crown Prince and New England Sugar Pie, and then interspersing with various others that catch my eye. I love Pink Banana and Sweet Dumpling, but have often to limit myself as there's only so much space and lots of other veg to grow too!! 

And before you ask, I buy lots of seed from the wonderful Pennards Plants as well as Real Seeds and Jungle Seeds and then pick up unusual varieties often at seed swaps and community events.

So that takes you through my pumpkin/squash obsession and I hope has encouraged you to give some different varieties a go!! 

 

Pumpkin Soup the Thai Way!

This is another simple recipe for pumpkin soup, but this time with a bit of extra warming kick. It's great for a quick weekend supper served with lots of crusty bread and is a recipe I go back to again and again.

You will need....

1 Medium sized pumpkin, peeled and chopped
Sunflower Oil
1 sliced onion
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 stick of lemongrass
3-4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
850 ml veg stock
lime juice and sugar for seasoning

Firstly roast the pumpkin for about 30 minutes until it is cooked.
Meanwhile add some oil to a pan and fry off the onion, ginger and lemongrass and cook on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes. Then stir in the curry paste, add the roated pumpkin, most of the coconut milk but leave about 3 tbsp in the can, and the stock and bring to a simmer. After 5 minutes remove the lemongrass, leave to cool for 5 minutes and then blend with a hand blender.  return to the pan to heat through and add salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar to taste and serve with a dibble of the remaining coconut milk.....

It could not be simpler!!

 

Pumpkin Jam Anyone?

I wonder if you might have had enough of pumpkin recipes yet?

Well in case you haven't here is another one from Danielle at Bishopston Supper Club, this time for pumpkin, apple and ginger jam which I can tell you is beyond delicious! The recipe for pumpkin puree is listed with the earlier recipe for brownies!!

Pumpkin, apple & ginger jam

500g pumpkin or any firm, orange fleshed squash (prepared weight), peeled, deseeded & diced into 1cm cubes or grated
350g cooking apples (prepared weight), peeled, cored & diced into 1cm cubes or grated

30g fresh ginger, peeled & diced as tiny as possible or grate with fine microplane-type grater

1 chunk of crystallised stem ginger, finely grated as above (If you're really not a fan of ginger, leave these out.)

250g pumpkin purée (optional)

1/2 tsp ground ginger (or to taste)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (or to taste)

2 lemons, juiced 

2 oranges, juiced 

700g granulated sugar

250ml water

Makes about 6-7 x 225g/8oz jars, 3-4 x 450g/1lb jars.

Place diced raw pumpkin, apples, gingers, cinnamon, lemon & orange juice, and water in a heavy bottomed pan, simmer gently until the pumpkin, ginger and apple chunks are tender, stirring occasionally. Grating the pumpkin & apple will mean it cooks quicker but I like the chunky texture of diced. Meanwhile, wash the jars in hot soapy water, rinse and sterilise in oven at 100c for 15-20 mins.

Add the pumpkin purée if using & stir in. Then add the sugar and stir to dissolve. (It helps to warm the sugar in a very low oven first.)

Simmer until reduced, thick and gloopy, there's no need to test for setting point with this jam. It's ready when a spoon pulled across the pan reveals the base.

Cool slightly then pour into the jars & seal with fresh lids or waxed paper discs & cellophane covers while still hot. Store in a cool, dry place and use within a year. Open opened, store in fridge and use within 4 weeks.

Now for some exciting news.....
I have a really excitng recipe to share as the final recipe, from someone I was lucky emough to spend time with at the weekend!! If you follow me on social media you'll probably guess....

Pumpkins.........as skincare?!

So rather than a recipe I'm going to talk about other uses for pumpkin flesh......

Skincare!!

I'm, quietly, a bit of a skincare monster. I love creams and oils and have done since being a fairly young girl. I blame my grandma who always had a fine range of lotions and potions that she used to let me try out. As a teen makeup and skincare was something I loved and as I've become an adult, whilst I still love those lotions and potions, what's become really important to me is that the skin products I use are good for me and for the earth, natural and man made chemical free. 

I've lots of favourite brands, and recently became a very part time consultant for one of my favourites, Neals Yard, which is amazing and great fun. 

 

But then I saw an offer on Facebook for Angela Landford Skincare. Angela was a MasterChef finalist and began making skincare for herself and now is making natural skincare in Somerset. I sent off for the trial pack and having used it sent a Twitter message to say how much I'd liked it. And then something slightly strange happened!! Up popped the lovely Emma Britton of Radio Bristol Breakfast fame, who obviously knows Angela, and introduced me as the Queen of Pumpkins!!

To which Angela tells me that some of her skincare includes pumpkins!! Of course pumpkin is full of good stuff-vitamin A, B2 and B3, omega 3 and 6, potassium, magnesium and zinc, so it lifts and repairs skin. There is a forming serum and a night balm and I will be ordering some soon because I can't wait to see what it's like! All in the name of pumpkin research you understand!! 

I hope to find more people doing great things with pumpkin flesh-let me know if you know of anyone or anything.

Recipes will continue tomorrow!! 

Radio Pumpkin.....

Today the campaign to make sure pumpkins are used as food, as well as to carve, stepped up a notch as I was invited into BBC Radio Bristol's Breakfast Show to chat to the very lovely Emma Britton about pumpkins and food waste. Emma showed me some tiny pumpkins she had been given and asked what I would do with them, so having told her, I will now tell you!!

The variety is one called Baby Bear and the pumpkins are tiny, approximately about 3-4 inches across. They are great fun to grow and are delicious. 

 

So what's the recipe I hear you ask?! Well chop the top off so you have a lid, put a knob of butter on the top of the flesh and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until completely soft. Remove, add salt and pepper to taste and eat!! Perfect as an accompaniment to lots of dishes as a vegetable or great as a snack sprinkled with cheese.

Emma went on to suggest I need a superhero pumpkin outfit. I'm not so sure!!

 

Pumpkin Stew recipe.....

Today's recipe is for pumpkin stew and is one I have kind of used for years, but never really felt it was quite wintery enough in terms of how filling it is.

But then the great Pete Lawrence published his cook book and I realised I'd been missing an extra ingredient that makes this a proper hearty stew, and that ingredient folks is lentils!!

 

So here's the recipe......

I use a couple of medium sized red onions, a clove of garlic, 2 carrots and 1 medium sized pumpkin. Sweat off the onions and garlic in a pan with some olive oil, add the carrots and pumpkin once the onions are transluscent and cook them all together for 5 minutes. Then add a litre of stock, and around 200 grams of lentils and cook on a slow heat until the lentils are cooked. I serve it exactly as it is at this point, with salt and pepper to taste and a swirl of sour cream and some sourdough bread. Pete on the other hand, says remove the pumpkin chunks, blitz everything else in a food processor and then add the pumpkin and stir in some cream. He's a famous media type so offers a bit more style perhaps!! 

Whichever way you choose to serve your stew, it's delicious, rich and very filling. 

If you have Pete's book you'll see he also has celery in his recipe but I cannot stomach celery and believe it to be the work of the devil!! However, you might like to add celery....

Please don't play with your food.....

I am a big fan of pumpkins. There are loads of different varieties from tiny Baby Bears to the enormous ones that are grown competitively. They're fun to grow, and great to eat in a huge variety of recipes; they can be roasted, spiralized, used in risotto, in pies, pastries and pasties, made into delicious soup and far, far more.

But what do we immediately think of when we think of a pumpkin? More and more they are part of our Halloween decorations, which of course is fine, but in so many households the precious flesh, that delicious orange filling, goes straight into the bin without a second thought.

Brace yourself for this but in 2014, 80,000 tonnes of pumpkin flesh went to landfill. 

80,000 tonnes when people are struggling to feed their children.

80,000 tonnes when we know children across the globe are dying, malnourished and weak.

80,000 tonnes when some older people are having to choose between eating and heating.

 

I deeply believe this is wrong. The core of my being screams when I hear these things and yet it continues. The supermarkets are as guilty as anyone, often selling the fruits as a carving kit, as if it isn't food and with very little information about what else you can do with a pumpkin but carve it. 

And as a nation we aren't used to cooking pumpkins and squash, with some people not having a clue how to prepare it, how to cook it or just what a great ingredient it is for so many dishes. And whereas we have books that relate to gluts of apples and the pumpkins cousin, the courgette, as yet a pumpkin and squash book is yet to appear.

 

So what to do about this enormous waste? 

Well this is just little old me but I'm going to try to blog as many pumpkin recipes as I can in the next few weeks in the lead up to Halloween and I ask you to join in. Share and cook the recipes, post recipes and photos of what you're cooking with your pumpkins and squash and be prepared to talk to people about the horror of this waste.

My first recipe is pumpkin and chilli soup which is the easiest recipe ever!!

Grab a pumpkin, peel and deseed it and chop it into pieces approx 1" in size. Pop the flesh into a roasting dish and roast for around 40-45 minutes or until soft, covered just with a sprinkling of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

In the meantime fry one onion and a chilli, chopped and deseeded if you don't want too much kick, and when your pumpkin is cooked, put it and your onion and chilli mix into a bowl. Add some stock, and blitz with a hand blender until smooth. And that is it!! 

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and with a few of the pumpkin seeds, toasted, scattered on top. 

And if there's loads left over, it freezes really well.

 

Next recipe coming soon!!