Pumpkin Salvage 101
Is it me, or are pumpkins having a moment?
Never in my life have I impulsively purchased so much seasonal fruit the way I did this fall. Bypassing classic sugar pumpkins, I was like a kid in a candy shop, entranced by pumpkin displays that looked more like technicolor fairytales than the usual monochromatic arrangements. I had to have them all. A blue Hubbard, a couple of Caspers and some Munchkins, a ghostly Grey Goblin and the prettiest pink pumpkin I'd ever seen. How quickly I forgot those brisk autumn days spent armpit deep in my beloved orange clad jack-o-lantern gourd, guts spilling out of her the way joy spilled out of me. Confronted with this rainbow of heirloom squash I was high on options, dazzled by the array of textures and colors—nostalgia could not compete.
Before I knew it, my home was overflowing with all sorts of round squash. Our kitchen was no longer (my chef-boyfriend) Gavin’s experimental laboratory—it looked like a festive farm stand.
Sadly, like all good things, the spooky season has come to an end. The mummies have returned to their crypts, ghouls and goblins retreated to their spirit world haunts and the witches have hung up their hats until the next Hallows Eve.
But now, a week after the sugar rush subsided, my ornamental pumpkins were teetering on the edge of spoiling. While many people trash their perfectly good gourds, or leave them to decay on their doorsteps for the weeks ahead, I knew this couldn’t be the fate of my beautiful pumpkins. The holiday was over, but these gourds still had time to shine.
Uncarved and in perfect condition, I remembered their original purpose. They are, after all, food. I would not contribute to the ever-growing statistics of pumpkin waste in America. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pumpkins are not only delicious, but nutrient-dense and an excellent source of iron, fiber and potassium. How could I abandon all this potential nourishment my fall friends had to offer?
Of course, trashed Halloween pumpkins are by no means the sole reason for hunger in America. Food waste to me is like a mosaic—a collage composed of a thousand individual images, each small photo playing a role in the much larger whole. At times it can be overwhelming, but if you step back and chose one photo to look at, it becomes more tangible. The basic steps we take—such as eating our decorative pumpkins—can be a personal triumph in the global battle against food waste.
Gavin and I made ourselves a goal: use all the pumpkins, and make anything but pumpkin pie. Call us crazy, but neither of us really like it. We wanted to use as much of the fruit as we could and the rest we would compost.
Turns out, pumpkin is quite adaptable and can easily be applied to a variety of dishes. First, we took inspiration from Japanese cooking and made Tempura Pumpkin Slices with Basil Aïoli. The softness of the pumpkin coupled with the salty fried batter, and creaminess of the aioli, make for a delightful mouthfeel.
Next, Gavin suggested one of his favorite dishes: Pumpkin Risotto. The creamy texture and subtle sweetness of roasted pumpkin goes incredibly well with salty Pecorino cheese, and the two meet harmoniously stirred through grains of perfectly cooked rice. Seasonal aromatics and sweet alliums accentuate the floral and pungent notes of the pumpkin, which is all brightened nicely with the subtle acidity of saffron and some white wine.
Of course, after all of this, we wanted dessert. Roasted pumpkin with brown butter is a legendary combination, and we paired them with roasted hazelnuts and semisweet chocolate in our Brown Butter and Hazelnut Pumpkin Cookies. The pumpkin in the cookie dough makes the cookies dense and decadent, while still being fluffy and light enough to go back for a second. Or a third...
The clocks have turned back, and winter is looming. Before you prematurely toss your favorite Fall decorations this year, consider instead the delicious new life you can give to your pumpkin.
This story appeared as an online exclusive in November 2019.
