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Pumpkin Lasagne

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

90ml/3fl oz extra virgin olive oil
1 kilo/3lb 2¼oz pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced
250g/9oz fresh ricotta cheese
paprika to taste
nutmeg to taste
salt
fresh ground black pepper

For the béchamel sauce:
55g/2oz butter
55g/2oz plain flour
350ml/10 ½fl oz milk
or use readymade bechamel sauce
250g/8 ¾oz green lasagne pasta
25g/1oz Parmesan cheese, grated

Cooking Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
  2. Put the olive oil in a large pan and cook the diced pumpkin for one hour or more on a very low heat. Stir frequently and keep covered. The pumpkin is ready when it is completely tender.
  3. Season pumpkin with plenty of paprika, nutmeg, freshly ground black pepper and a little salt to taste.
  4. Add the ricotta cheese while it's still on the heat. Stir well then remove from the heat. Cover and allow to stand.
  5. To make béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan without letting it fry, add the flour little by little, stirring regularly to avoid lumps.
  6. When the flour has evenly absorbed the butter, continue to stir and let it cook.
  7. Add the milk a little at a time until a smooth, thick and creamy sauce is obtained. Season.
  8. In a large ovenproof dish, arrange a layer of lasagne pasta, cover with pumpkin mixture, pasta again, pumpkin mixture and finish with a layer of lasagne pasta.
  9. Pour the milk on top and allow it to drain through to all pasta layers.
  10. Bake for 10 minutes in hot oven, remove and spread the béchamel sauce on top.
  11. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until all the milk has been absorbed by the pasta and the lasagne looks cooked and slightly crispy. Take care not to burn the pasta or the béchamel on top, which has to stay white and creamy.
  12. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parmesan and serve immediately. 

Pumpkin Soup with Bacon Bits

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

medium onion
50g butter/olive oil
2 plump cloves garlic
900g pumpkin
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seed
2 small dried chillies
1 litre chicken/veg stock
4 rashers smoked bacon
100ml single cream/cream fraiche

Cooking Instructions

  1. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan and cook the onion and the garlic, peeled and sliced, until soft and translucent. Meanwhile, peel the pumpkin, remove the stringy bits and seeds and discard them with the peel. Chop into rough cubes and add to the onions. Cook until the pumpkin is golden brown at the edges.
  2. Toast the coriander seeds and cumin in a small pan over a low heat until they start to smell warm and nutty - about 2 minutes. Keep the pan to one side for later. Grind the roasted spices in a coffee mill or pestle and mortar. Add them and the chillies to the oniions and pumpkin. Cook for a minute then add the stock.
  3. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes or so until the pumpkin is tender. Fry the bacon in the pan in which you toasted the spices. It should be crisp. Cool a little then cut up into small pieces. Whizz the soup thoroughly in a blender or food processor till quite smooth.
  4. Pour in cream or cream fraiche and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary.
  5. Return to pan, bring almost to the boil and serve, piping hot, with bacon bits scatted on top. 

Pumpkin & Broccoli Soup

Saturday, January 1, 2005 at 09:20PM
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Ingredients

1 small pumpkin
300g/12oz broccoli, cut into florets
1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
600ml/1 pint vegetable stock
200ml/1/3 pint full fat milk
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions

  1. Slice the top off the pumpkin. Set aside.
  2. Remove the seeds and stringy inside from the pumpkin.
  3. Scoop out as much flesh as possible and chop.
  4. In a medium saucepan, heat oil.
  5. Sauté onion for 1-2 minutes, to soften.
  6. Stir in the garlic, thyme & pumpkin flesh. Season.
  7. Pour over the stock and bring up to the boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  8. Stir in the broccoli and cook for a further 3-4 mins.
  9. Transfer to a liquidiser and blend.
  10. Return the mixture to the pan, add the milk and heat through.
  11. Stir in the parsley. 


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Baked Kabocha Squash & Butter Bean Soup

Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 10:55AM
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Ingredients

200g (7 oz) dried butter beans
1-1.5kg (2-3lbs) kabocha squash
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
15ml (1 tbsp) butter
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
750ml (3 cups) vegetable stock
1.25ml (¼ tsp) ground cinnamon [optional]
1.25ml (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg [optional]

Cooking Instructions

You need to soak the beans for at least 12 hours (alternatively overnight) in plenty of cold water.

Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Halve pumpkin crosswise and scoop out seeds and strings. Place pumpkin halves in a large baking dish, shallow side down. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes, or until fork tender.

Meanwhile melt the butter and add the oil to a large pot. When the mixture starts sizzling, add the onion and fry gently until softened. Rinse the soaked butter beans, add them to the pot and pour in the stock. Simmer the mixture for about 30 minutes or until just soft, not mushy.

By then the pumpkin would be cooked. Remove the baking dish from the oven and wait for the pumpkin to cool down. When it is cool enough to touch, scoop out all the flesh and add it to the simmering bean pot.

Add the spices now and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, then purée the mixture with a hand blender. Alternatively, you can wait for the mixture to cool down a little bit and purée it in batches in a blender. Serve immediately with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top.