I think pumpkins and winter squash are a significant fall comfort food. They make delicious side dishes as well as the perfect ingredient for adding flavor to desserts casseroles, soups and pancakes. For me, they symbolize the change of seasons and are a reminder of the holiday season ahead.
Ashley, my daughter, along with my twin grandsons will be visiting during Halloween this year. The boys are looking forward to visiting the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins for carving. The patch also has a huge variety of gourds, which are kin to the pumpkin. I think gourds are festive and make a nice centerpiece display for a table.
Pumpkins and winter squash varieties are a good source of vitamins and minerals, particularly beta-carotene. Fall and winter are the harvesting seasons for these tasty sweet-flavored vegetables. Winter squash varieties such as acorn, butternut, buttercup and hubbard come in assorted shapes and sizes and have flesh colors that range from golden-yellow to brilliant orange.
Most winter squash as well as sweet potatoes are interchangeable in recipes requiring pumpkin. Winter squash can also be dressed with butter and herbs, a cream sauce, cheese sauce, maple syrup and nuts, marinara sauce or stewed fruit.
When selecting a pumpkin for cooking, do not use big field pumpkins, save those for your jack o’ lanterns. Select smaller “sugar” pumpkins as they tend to be more tender, flavorful and less watery. When picking out a pumpkin or squash, make sure they are blemish free, have their stems intact and feel heavy for their size (the same as picking out a watermelon). Look for a dull exterior because a shiny skin means the pumpkin was picked to soon.
Pumpkins and squash may be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a month. Because of the convenient canned pumpkin products so readily available, I do not cook fresh pumpkin as often as I have in the past. However, I like to roast the pumpkin seeds (also known as pepitas) scooped from our jack o’ lantern, which will be a special treat to share with my grandsons. The seeds make a healthy, tasty snack everyone enjoys munching on.
Pumpkins and winter squash are cooked in the same manner. To start, cut the vegetable in half, scrape away and discard the stringy pulp and seeds (unless you are roasting pumpkin seeds). Rinse the halves under cold water then proceed with one of the following cooking methods.
Boiling/steaming: Cut each of the halves into large pieces and place them in a large kettle or steamer basket with about 1 cup of water (add more water if necessary). Cover the pot and gently boil for about 20-30 minutes or steam for about 10-12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the cooked pumpkin or squash in a colander. Reserve the liquid for another use.
Oven: Cut the vegetable halves into quarters. Place them cut side down on a large cookie sheet. I add a little water to the pan and bake at 350 degrees for about one hour or until the flesh is fork tender.
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