Halloween Pumpkin Recipes

by Daphne Lambert

Never waste the chunks & scrapings from inside your jack o lantern- here are some recipes that will use them up!

Pumpkin soup with Thai spices

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

4 large shallots chopped

2 red chili peppers chopped

1 stick lemon grass bruised and cut into 1” pieces

3 kefir lime leaves

1 litre vegetable stock

500g diced pumpkin

350 ml coconut milk

Juice and zest of 1 lime

salt & pepper

In a medium saucepan, cook the garlic, shallots and chili in the coconut oil until soft about 5 minutes. Add the diced pumpkin, stock, kefir lime leaves, lemon grass and bring to the boil. Simmer until the pumpkin is tender and beginning to break up. Stir in the coconut milk, bring back to the boil, remove from the heat and add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Pumpkin, Sage, Olive & Feta Frittata

350g pumpkin diced

1 onion, chopped

Olive oil & butter

6 sage leaves, finely shredded

Salt & pepper

8 eggs

12 black olives, chopped

110g feta cheese in small dice

Preheat oven to 190°C 375°F no 5

Roast the pumpkin with the onion in olive oil in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Remove and stir in the shredded sage leaves and season well. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the pumpkin, olives and feta cheese. Take a large fry pan and swirl round a little olive oil and butter over a high heat. Pour in the egg mixture and cook until it begins to set at the edge. Transfer to a medium hot oven 190°C and bake for 15 minutes until golden and firm. Serve cut in wedges with a salad and some fresh bread. Leftovers make excellent lunch box food.

Green lentils with pumpkin, garlic & ginger

200g green lentils

500g pumpkin chopped small

570ml water or vegetable stock

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 green chilies, seeded & very finely shredded

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

handful of roughly chopped coriander

salt & pepper

Put the lentils and pumpkin into a pan with the water and bring to the boil. Cover, turn heat to low & simmer for 30minutes or until the lentils are cooked and there is no liquid left.

Gently cook the chilies, ginger and garlic in the olive oil for 3 minutes then stir into the lentils along with the coriander. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Pumpkin drop scones

375g pumpkin grated

3 shallots finely chopped

10 leaves of sage finely shredded

handful of flat leaf parsley chopped

165g feta cheese

110g spelt flour

3 eggs

salt & black pepper

olive oil

limes and sage for serving

Place the pumpkin in a colander and press out any excess liquid

Put the shallots, herbs, eggs and flour into a bowl and mix well add the pumpkin and crumble in the feta. Smear olive oil over your fry pan and cook heaped dessert spoons of this mixture for about 2 minutes on each side. Serve with lime and sage.