It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

The peach tree still stands, for now. I think I’ll wait until my mother has actually ordered the new peach tree until I cut down the old one. (And, no, Sarah, you can’t ‘gift’ me one from Farmville. I need a REAL peach tree!)

The air is crisp and noticeably colder. The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone. Our lawn is covered in inches of yellow and orange leaves. (Dang it, now I have to rake!) The mountain peaks received the first snow of the year. That’s good for the pears and great for the apples. Disastrous for the peaches. By this time of the year, the peaches start to get overripe making them dry, pasty and flavorless. I bought a couple at the grocery store the other day. They were nice and firm and out of season. I didn’t even try the second one. Nasty.

I went to a party the other day with some friends from Santa Barbara. It was a potluck affair which I always enjoy, not for the sake of showing off, but for the chance to try everything. Ah, the sacrifices we make! Someone brought a very interesting fruit salad that would be great in the summer. Watermelon, peaches, pears and apples. All fresh. Nothing canned. Quite yummy. Very depressing. Had there been strawberries, I might have cried. It’s not that I don’t like fall. Ok, I don’t like fall. I just love summer more.

But I will admit one thing that I am excited about. Pumpkins! Like Linus van Pelt, I am a believer in The Great Pumpkin. When the first of October rolls around, I quiver in anticipation of those grand gourds. (Actually I quiver in the cold air. I am a cold blooded desert lizard, after all) They are proof positive that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

When the pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, pumpkins, along with corn and lobsters, were considered peasant food fit only for livestock feed by these Old World folk. Thanks to near disastrous winters and the kindness of neighboring Natives, the Pilgrims humbled themselves and pumpkins became the symbol of American cuisine.

Unfortunately, we seem to have relegated pumpkins to only pies and jack-o-lanterns to be smashed on Halloween night by tricking teens. There is so much more to pumpkins than being sacrificed to an overgrown kid in a plastic Power Rangers mask. Here are some examples -

Pumpkin Corn Chowder

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 medium potatoes chopped medium
2 cups peeled and chopped butternut, acorn or pumpkin squash
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups frozen corn
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons flour

In a 2 quart sauce pan, cook the bacon until almost crisp. Add the onions and sauté until opaque and tender. Add the potatoes, squash, water and salt and pepper, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn, thyme and parsley. Whisk the cream and flour in a separate bowl until smooth. Whisk the cream/flour mixture into the soup and simmer until thick.

Wild Field Greens with Pumpkin Squash and Maple Cider Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or 1/4 cup imitation plus 1 teaspoon maple extract)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup olive oil

Mix the ingredients, except the oil, together in a blender. Slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture in the blender while blending on medium high.

Salad:
Mixed greens
1 small (2-3 pounds) pumpkin (or acorn or butternut squash)
3 fresh corn, uncooked, shucked and shelled
1 pint red tear-drop tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), halved
1 bunch small green onions, chopped

Cut the pumpkin in half. Clean out the seeds and cut into wedges. Bring water in a steamer to a boil and steam the pumpkin wedges until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Chill in an ice water bath immediately. Drain well. Peel the skin off the wedges and cut the pumpkin into cubes. Mix all of the ingredients together with the greens. At time of service, add the vinaigrette and toss well.

Fresh Green Beans with Pumpkin Squash and Pecans

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small (4 lbs) pumpkin, skinned and cubed
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
2 teaspoons ground rosemary
2 teaspoons basil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large heavy skillet, or wok, melt the butter together with the olive oil. Sauté the cubed pumpkin on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin starts to brown and caramelize a little. Add the green beans and herbs. Sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the broth and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes or until the green beans are tender yet firm. Add the butter and salt and pepper and stir until the butter just melts.

MM - I’m salivating already! Next week - fusion cooking with Pumpkins!!!