H alloween has arrived, and with it comes the prospect of more beautiful winter produce. I think this is the best time of year for eating – it’s all about comfort, richness and the type of cooking that sends you to bed warm and happy. In keeping with the theme of Halloween , or Samhain, we are embracing the harvest and the pumpkin, or winter squash. An ancient pagan festival, Samhain was designed to celebrate a fruitful harvest and the prospect of plentiful food for the long darkness ahead. The pumpkin, while hardly beloved of the pagans, is the modern-day nod, via the US, to the roots of the celebration.
The pumpkin is a member of the squash family, of which there are more than 100 varieties worldwide. Some appear in summer, with the vast majority harvested in winter. They are cost effective, packed with nutrition and hugely versatile when it comes to the kitchen.
I’m going to recommend not cooking the carving pumpkin you’ve left on the doorstep for the past week. These are generally overgrown for the purposes of decoration and full of tasteless water. For this week’s recipes, I would suggest sourcing a smaller squash, which will be easier to store, prep, cook and will deliver better flavour.
The first recipe is a classic risotto, a great way of showcasing the pumpkin’s flavour in its purest form. It is cooked with a base of shallot and garlic, the arborio rice slowly absorbs the chicken stock and softens before getting finished with a luxurious, silky smooth pumpkin purée. A handful of cheese and some seasoning to taste completes the picture. Brown butter and sage are a tale as old as time in the culinary world, and they are right at home crowning this Italian classic. This is a beautiful dish that proves you don’t need fancy food to deliver elegant results.
The second dish is one to get the kids involved with. Pumpkin contains plenty of natural sugars, so by nature, they should fit neatly alongside dark chocolate in a brownie, right? Finely grated, they are folded through your traditional brownie mix before being baked off in a lined tin. A touch of orange zest is a lovely accompaniment that also matches the colour palette. If you really want to impress the neighbours this weekend, why not have a batch of brownies ready for the trick-or-treaters this evening?