Pumpkin is the perfect autumn vegetable. And there’s much more than the traditional pumpkin cream soup! Have a try!
Little „Pumpkinology“
Pumpkins consist of 90% water and contain lots of minerals. Beta-carotene provides the orange colour and lets your skin look healthy look and your eyes shine brightly. A cool and dark place is best for the storage, like a cellar for example. Beware! Place apples out of reach because pumpkins are sensitive to their ripening gas. Once cut open and wrapped in cling film it can survive 3 to 5 days. The Hokkaido and the butternut pumpkin belong to the best-known species.
Starter: Salad with fried Pumpkin, Pear, Walnuts and Blue Cheese
We love salad, especially in summer, because it’s light and delicious. But salad can be savoured during the cool season too! Especially with walnuts and pears, pumpkin is very tasty. Blue cheese may not be for everyone, while it provides the salad the little extra something. This recipe is the perfect starter of a delicate autumn menu. It tastes even better with a glass of white wine.
Ingredients for 4 serves:
4 servings salad (e.g. lamb’s lettuce, curled lettuce, frisée or lollo rosso)
1 ripe pear
1 tsp. sugar
150 g Hokkaido pumpkin
1 tbsp. butter
Nutmeg
10 walnuts
300 g blue cheese
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
7 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 tbsp. pumpkin seed oil
Salt and pepper
Sugar
Main Course: Stuffed Butternut Pumpkin from the Oven
This dish is easily prepared and the perfect main course on a cold autumn evening. Of course, you could stuff the Butternut pumpkin with your favourite vegetables. It tastes best with zucchini, tomatoes, scallion and fresh herbs. The crunchy cheese crust is the sherry on the cake. Caution: addictiveness!
Zutaten für 4 Personen:
Ingredients for 4 serves:
1 butternut pumpkin
4 tbsp. canola oil
Salt, pepper
2 Zucchini
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
200 g cocktail tomatoes
6 scallions
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tsp. minced rosemary
1 tbsp. minced thyme
100 g Gazi Cecil cheese (nomad’s cheese)
Dessert: Pumpkin Muffins
Yes! Pumpkin make fine desserts. These fluffy muffins are the best companions of a good read, your cosy blanket and a hot cup of coffee. And they’re also the perfect sweet epilogue of your autumn dinner. Very tasty: vanilla curd and maple syrup as a topping. Prepare a whole baking sheet, because your guests will love them!
Ingredients for 6 pieces:
1 small pumpkin
120 g butter
100 g raw cane sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
130 g flour
1 tsp. baking powder
To garnish at discretion: vanilla curd or Skyr, puffed cereals and maple syrup
And what to do with the Leftovers? Just make them a facial mask!
Pumpkin Mask Basic Recipe
3 tsp. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. milk
p.r.n. 1 tsp. fine oat flakes
1. Boil the pumpkin flesh into soft, leave it to cool down and then mash it up. Avoid the puree to get watery, ensure a solid consistency.
2. AStir all ingredients to a paste, if it gets too liquid, add some oat flakes.
3. Apply on your face by avoiding the area around your eyes.
4. Allow it to work app. For 15 to 20 minutes, remove with warm water.
Personalization
If your skin tends to dryness, add one egg and your skin will feel supple again.
If you have oily skin, add 2 tsp. of cider vinegar – like this, you’ll remove excessive oily layers.
As you can see, a pumpkin is a true allrounder – it spoils not only your palate but also your face. Give the orange fall marvel a try!
Translation: Danielle De Bie
