Seasonal Eats: Pumpkins

For those of you aren’t familiar with our pumpkin obsession, it’s a serious fetish that we indulge in freely this time of year.  With November upon us and Halloween past (and sorely under-celebrated this year!), the timing couldn’t be more perfect to savor this fall fruit well into winter.  Pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin gnocchi, muffins, pie, bread, ice cream, the possibilities are endless.

Just what is a pumpkin exactly?  Technically, it’s a fruit that belongs to the squash family that’s been growing in North American for five thousand years.  Pumpkins are part of the gourd family which means they’re related to watermelons and cantaloupe.  The seeds and flesh of pumpkins are deliciously edible, but they’re also packed with vitamins (particularly vitamins A and B), potassium and iron, so you can feel good about eating them.   (Whoopie pies excluded.)  While the pumpkins we see and eat tend to be orange, there’s a spectrum of colors, from white to grey to yellow.   They can weigh anywhere from 9 to 75 pounds, but the  biggest pumpkin recorded weighed in at 1810 pounds!  Want to grow your own for next year’s fall season?  You’ll want to plant your seeds between the end of May and middle of June.

Enough facts, let’s get eating:  One great way to enjoy this glorious fall squash is by scooping out the seeds and spreading them on a sheet of tin foil, sprinkling them with salt, and then roasting them in the oven until they start to crackle.  Pull them out, let them cool and you’ve got an afternoon snack.  You can also add them to soups, salads and stews for added crunch.  But there’s plenty of other ways to use pumpkins, some you might not have thought of.   Pumpkin is  a great thickener for soups and stews.  For example, adding pumpkin to chili gives it extra depth of flavor, body and a little spice.  Just add one to two cups of pumpkin puree to any turkey chili recipe. If you’re buying a whole pumpkin and not just the puree in a can, look for firm, bright pumpkins and store them in a cool dry place. They can last for up to a month, which means that if you buy one while they’re readily available now, it might last until Thanksgiving.  Fresh pumpkin can also be frozen by cooking chunks in boiling water until it’s soft, letting it cool, mashing it and then putting it in the freezer.  If you just want a decorative pumpkin for the front door or the table, look for the heirloom varieties, like a Queensland Blue, found at farmers markets or grocery stores.

Don’t feel like getting messy and carving up a pumpkin at home? No problem.  The city’s got tons of options for dining out.  One of our newest discoveries is ‘Wichcraft’s Roasted Pumpkin Sandwich with Hazelnut Brown Butter layered with Sage & Mozzarella on Grilled Country Bread.  There’s Artisanal’s Wild Mushroom Risotto with Pumpkin & Sage Butter and Kitchenette’s Winter Salad, a comforting fall medley of spinach, butternut squash, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and goat cheese with a honey mustard vinaigrette.  Boulud Sud’s got a unique take on pumpkin soup, a Baharat Spiced Pumpkin Soup with lebnah and toasted almonds.

For something on the sweet side, you can get your fix at Magnolia Bakery’s in the city.  We’re not the biggest fan of cupcakes, but we do have a soft spot for the Pumpkin Spice cake with dried cranberries and caramel cream cheese icing. Someone at Magnolia must have a thing for pumpkin, too, because they’ve got a whole roster of pumpkin-inspired sweets, including a Pumpkin Pie with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and maple syrup, Pumpkin Pecan cupcakes with maple cream cheese icing and toasted pecans, a Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie and Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake with a gingersnap crust.   Or you can drink your pumpkin at Jane with a Pumpkin Chai-Spiced Margherita, a vivacious blend of with reposado tequila, chai liqueur, pumpkin butter and lime.  Whether you’re in search of the savory, the sweet, or just a pumpkin for your kitchen table, there’s something pumpkin out there for everyone.

Boulud Sud
20 West 64th Sts., btwn.Central Park West & Broadway
212-595-1313
www.danielnyc.com

‘wichcraft
1881 Broadway, btwn. 62nd & 63rd Sts.
(212)780-0577
www.wichcraft.com

Kitchenette 
156 Chambers St Between Greenwich St and W Broadway 
(212)-267-6740
www.kitchenetterestaurant.com 

Magnolia Bakery 
401 Bleeker Street 
(212)-462-2572
www.magnoliabakery.com

Jane
100 W Houston St, Between Thompson St and LaGuardia Place
(212)-254-7000
www.janerestaurant.com