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Tag: pumpkin

  • Thai Pumpkin and Salmon Red Curry

    thai pumpkin and salmon red curry

    Pumpkin and salmon might seem like a strange combination, but all doubts will leave your mind once you taste this curry. I first had this curry at Thai X-ing, an amazing DC restaurant, where it was one of a variety of courses on their set menu. While everything there was delicious, this dish in particular stood out and still comes to mind (I spend a lot of time thinking about food). The tender and sweet pumpkin melts into the spicy, creamy, curry sauce, thickening it, and the salmon adds another dimension of richness. This version captured my memory of the dish well and was far easier than I thought it would be to throw together. The most time-consuming part was chopping up the pumpkin (I think what I got was actually a kabocha squash, and it had a particular thick, knobbly skin) and prepping the salmon (it seems to be the trend around here to leave the bones in the fish when selling it). I’ve been eating this curry for just about every meal since I made it, served over quinoa (though rice will be just as good and more authentic), and I’m already planning for when I can make it again.

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  • Vegetarian Chili

    vegetarian chili

    This vegetarian chili is packed with different beans and grains; the combination of lentils, barley, bulgur wheat, black beans, and kidney beans means that you won’t even miss the meat. Pumpkin puree helps create an extra rich texture, and hefty amounts of garlic, ginger, hot peppers, and chili powder lend a lot of flavor here. I especially loved having this chili topped with an egg for breakfast, but of course, it makes a great lunch or dinner too. I like topping my chili with cheese and sour cream, but if you forgo the dairy toppings, this chili is actually vegan.

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  • Kaddo Bourani

    kaddo bourani

    We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

    Kaddo bourani is a delicious Afghan dish that plays around with very unusual flavor combinations. Sweet pumpkin mingles here with cinnamon, topped with mint garlic yogurt and a coriander-laced tomato sauce. This seemingly disparate combination manages to come together seamlessly. Traditionally, the tomato sauce has ground beef in it, but I’ve done a vegetarian version here, substituting with a can of kidney beans. This dish also works as an appetizer without the tomato sauce.

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  • Pumpkin Kibbe

    pumpkin kibbe

    We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

    This recipe marks my 50th post on this blog, and I’m very excited to be posting a family recipe, passed on to me from my dad. Kibbe is a traditional Lebanese dish, usually made with ground lamb and bulgur wheat. This vegetarian version substitutes pumpkin puree for the ground lamb. Although I’ve always been an adventurous eater, I used to turn my nose up at this dish when my parents made it, simply because I love lamb kibbe so much. I’ve since come around and now absolutely love pumpkin kibbe as well! The only change I’ve made from how my grandmother in Lebanon cooks this dish is to sautee the onions before laying them in the bottom of the pan (I can’t help myself; I just love caramelized onions).

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  • Pumpkin Risotto

    pumpkin risotto

    We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ve been posting my very best pumpkin recipes last week and this week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

    I can see why pumpkin (and butternut squash) risotto shows up on a lot of menus around this time of year. This restaurant darling is fairly simple to make and packed with flavor, and the risotto easily takes on a beautiful orange color from the pumpkin puree. In this rendition, fresh ginger plays a subtle background note to the rich pumpkin flavor. This dish makes for a filling vegetarian main course or a great side along a cut of steak.

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  • Pumpkin Pancakes

    pumpkin pancakes

    We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

    These subtly orange pancakes are quite easy to toss together and have the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor alongside traditional pumpkin pie spices. They’re great for when you have some leftover pumpkin puree but not enough for most recipes, since you only need 1/2 cup for this recipe. I mixed some butter and extra pumpkin puree together (warming these together in the microwave for 15 seconds or so make them easier to combine) to serve on top for an added pumpkin boost, along with maple syrup, of course. These pancakes make for a great seasonal breakfast (comfortably serving two people) or a decadent dessert.

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  • Stuffed Pumpkin

    stuffed pumpkin

    We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and my pumpkin puree will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

    This recipe manages to be both simple and impressive. Placing a whole cooked pumpkin in the center of the table is sure to elicit compliments from your dinner companions, and the combination of cooked pumpkin flesh with bread, cheese, bacon, spinach, and apple is perfect for fall. This stuffed pumpkin would make a great Thanksgiving side but can also serve as a complete meal. Feel free to get creative when choosing what to stuff your pumpkin with; cooked rice or another grain can be used in place of bread, you can use whatever cheese you have on hand, and nearly any of the ingredients can be omitted or replaced and still result in a delicious dish. You can even cut a butternut squash in half and stuff the halves if you can’t get your hands on a pumpkin.

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  • Pumpkin Puree

    pumpkin puree

    We’re approaching the end of pumpkin season, so I’ll be posting my very best pumpkin recipes this week and next week. Luckily, pumpkins keep well for a couple months (and the pumpkin puree in today’s recipe will keep good for 6 months or more when frozen) which means after you buy up those last pumpkins, you’ll have ample time to cook these delicious recipes!

    When I was growing up, we never carved jack-o-lanterns; instead my parents would buy sugar pie pumpkins, and we’d draw on them with glow in the dark fabric paint. That way, after Halloween, my mom could roast the pumpkins to make puree. It almost feels a little silly to bother posting a recipe for pumpkin puree because it’s so easy, but since it’s a key ingredient in many recipes, here it is. You can really use any size pumpkin here – I roasted a 12-lb monster the other day and it gave me nearly 10 cups of puree. Most of the time, I’m sure that the canned puree suffices just fine, but I love going the extra step and making my own. It might all be in my head, but I feel like the fresh stuff has more flavor to it and tastes more squash-like – though this probably also depends on the variety of pumpkin you use. This puree is not only good for traditional pumpkin pies; I’ll be posting some less traditional recipes using it in the next couple weeks, and you can also stir it into yogurt or oatmeal.

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