What To Do With Your Leftover Pumpkin

A Pumpkin is not just for Halloween... Make use of your Jack O'Lantern leftovers and cook up some delicious pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkins are only really seen throughout October. A staggering 15 million pumpkins are grown in the UK every year, with 8 million of them used for carving alone.

Then, November comes around, and all these pumpkins are thrown away - so here we have explored different ways to use your left over pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.

Storage

In terms of storage, you can either pop your left over Pumpkin (chopped) in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a couple months. Make sure to peel the pumpkin and remove any wax before storing in the freezer.

Preparation

Pumpkin is similar to butternut squash, so you can treat it the same as this winter squash. 

Preparing your pumpkin can vary depending on what you're making - however you'll always need to peel the skin using a peeler or a knife. If you're roasting, you may not need to peel the skin.
When removing the seeds, cut the top of the pumpkin and scoop the seeds out - or chop the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds from each half. There are many different types of Pumpkins - read all about the pumpkin types here. 

Here are some different methods and recipes to follow when deciding what to do with your left over pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.

1. Roasted Pumpkin Wedges

Ingredients

• Pumpkin
• Olive Oil
• Chilli Flakes
• 1 Garlic Bulb
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Crumbled Fresh Feta

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c.

2. Chop your pumpkin into wedges sized pieces and arrange in a large, shallow baking dish.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter chilli flakes.

4. Break the garlic bulb into cloves and nestle them (unpeeled) around the pumpkin. Season well with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.

5. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender and lightly charred.

6. Add the feta for the last 5 minutes of cooking and serve.

2. Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• Olive Oil
• 2 Onions
• 1kg of Pumpkin (peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks)
• 700ml Vegetable Stock
• 150ml Double Cream

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 minutes until soft.

2. Add 1kg of chopped pumpkin to the pan then continue to cook for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Pour 700ml vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until the squash is soft.

4. Pour the cream into the pain and bring back to boil, then puree with a hand blender.

5. Add pumpkin seeds as a topping and serve.

3. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Method

1. Scoop the pumpkin seeds from your left over pumpkin, wash and dry them.

2. Season the seeds with Smoked Paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and olive oil. 

3. Roast your seeds at 170c for about 12-15 minutes tossing the seeds every 5 minutes until they are evenly brown. 

4. Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 750g of Pumpkin (peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks)
• 350g sweet shortcrust pastry
• Plain Flour
• 140g Caster Sugar
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 25g melted butter
• 175ml Milk
• Icing Sugar

Method

1. Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil.

2. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes until tender, drain pumpkin and allow time to cool.

3. Heat oven to 180c. Roll out the pasty on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin and chill for 15 minutes.

4. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 minutes until the base is pale golden and biscuit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. 

5. Increase over to 200c. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

6. Mix the beaten effs, melted butter and milk then add to the pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160c. Continue to bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling has set.

7. Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Dust with icing sugar on the top of the pie and serve chilled.

5. Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste or vegetarian alternative
• 2 onions (finely chopped)
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp mustard seed
• 1kg of pumpkin
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 400ml can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 2 limes
• Handful of mint

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan, then gently fry the curry paste with the onions, cardamom and mustard seed for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

2. Stir the pumpkin into the pan and coat in the paste, then pour in the stock and coconut milk. Bring everything to simmer, add the chickpeas and then cook for 10 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.

3. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the curry, then cut the other lime into wedges to serve alongside.

4. Just before serving, tear over the mint leaves and serve with a lime wedge.

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