Epigram article: 4 recipes, 1 key ingredient... This time we're talking Pumpkin

My first article featured in Bristol University's Epigram Newspaper (http://epigram.org.uk/living/2014/10/4-for-1-a-passion-for-pumpkins/)

Welcome to Living’s new foodie series! 4 for 1 is here to provide self-catered students with reliable recipes. The whole idea is to take one ingredient and create four dishes that makes sure that nothing goes to waste. Here to kick it all off is Pippa Cole, a first year who featured in our ‘8 Student food bloggers you should be following right now’. She’s full of wonderful ideas and her recipes are guaranteed to lift your spirits as the autumn weather starts to close in.

With Halloween coming up, I thought I’d get in the spirit and start off with the humble pumpkin. All these recipes serve two people, but you can always keep the second portion for lunch the next day. That’s what it’s all about really, making ingredients go further. Leftovers for lunch, savvy ingredient swaps and plan-ahead tactics to get the best from your shop. I love the amount of budget student recipes flying around these day, but that tuna pasta bake suddenly seems less value for money when you end up throwing away gone off onion halves and opened tins of sweetcorn. I want to throw a solution your way: I’ll take one perishable ingredient and offer up four recipes in which to use it. Hopefully leaving you with no irritating leftovers and all round giving you better value for money.

Back to pumpkin. Currently at only £1/kg, this spooky veggie is only fractionally more expensive than the cheapest potatoes available in Sainsbury’s (£0.80/kg for 2.5kg of white potatoes). It’s also rich in something fancy called Beta-Carotene, a lovely little antioxidant which aids glowing skin and a healthy immune system. As if that’s not enough, its high potassium content helps to keep our hearts and muscles ticking along nicely, perfect for you gym bunnies, or for anyone worn out by the daily hill climbs of Bristol! What’s not to like?

Here’s a list of all the ingredients you’ll need for the following 4 recipes:

1 medium pumpkin
Olive oil for frying
4 garlic cloves
Salt
Pot of natural yoghurt
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tin of chickpeas
Bunch/pot of coriander
1-2 tsp. garam masala
About 1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tin of tomatoes
Handful of frozen spinach
½ a lime
4 slices of brown bread
Veg stock cube
1 tin of butterbeans
Handful of rosemary leaves (I found some growing in Stoke Bishop so thought I’d make the make the most of free food!)

 

And as for equipment:

1 medium saucepan
1 small frying pan
Microwave safe jug/large bowl
Ovensafe dish/bowl
Chopping board
Large sharp knife
Stick blender*

*this is the one and only bit of fancy kit, you can find handheld blenders for about £10 and they’re seriously useful for speedy soups and smoothies, just don’t use it too early in the morning unless you want to be the enemy of all your flatmates!

So first up, an autumn favourite, Pumpkin and cinnamon soup:

Skin and de-seed about 1/4 medium pumpkin (or about 1/6 of a large carving one) – chop into large chunks – microwave for approx. 5mins until slightly softened – fry 1 chopped garlic clove in 1tbsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan on a low heat – add chopped pumpkin and a pinch of salt for 2-3mins before adding ½ tin of butterbeans and 1 cup of water – bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20mins (adding more water if needed) – remove from heat and blitz with a hand blender until smooth – add 2-3 large tbsp. of yoghurt and a pinch of cinnamon – adjust seasoning and thickness to your preference and blitz again – serve with a little extra yoghurt.

Next, turn up the heat with my Pumpkin and chickpea curry

Skin and de-seed about 1/4 medium pumpkin – chop into large chunks – microwave for approx. 5-10mins until softened but still holding its shape – in a medium saucepan on a low heat fry 1 chopped garlic clove and about 4 chopped coriander stalks (reserve the leaves for later) with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1tsp. garam masala and ½ tbsp. cumin seeds and ½ tin of chickpeas until fragrant and the garlic is softened but not at all browned– roughly chop the pumpkin into smaller chunks and add to the pan for about 5mins (reduce the heat if the garlic is cooking too quickly) – add ½ tin of tomatoes and a handful of frozen spinach and simmer for 5-10 mins with a pinch of salt (and add more spices if necessary) – serve with yoghurt and a few coriander leaves.

End of festival blues? Cheer yourself up with my pumpkin spin on the festival classic, falafel:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c – Skin and de-seed about ¼ medium pumpkin – chop into large chunks – microwave for approx. 5-10mins until softened but still just holding its shape – add ½ handful of coriander stalks (add the leaves too), 1 chopped garlic clove, ½ tsp. cumin seeds, pinch of salt, juice of half a lime, ½ tin of chickpeas and 3 slices of roughly torn brown bread – blitz to a thick, rough paste – place heaped tbsps. of the mixture onto a lined baking tray and flatten slightly (to about 1-2cm thick) – cook for about 20 mins until golden – heat 1-2tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat – add the cooked falafel and fry for a couple of minutes on each side to crisp them up – serve with extra coriander leaves – you can use any leftover bread to stuff them into sandwiches with salad and houmous if you fancy.

Something warm and hearty? Try this herby Pumpkin and butter bean bake:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c – skin and de-seed about 1/4 medium pumpkin – chop into large chunks – microwave for approx. 5-10mins until slightly softened – fry 1 chopped garlic clove and about 1 tsp. of finely chopped rosemary leaves in 1tbsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan on a low heat – add chopped pumpkin and a pinch of salt for 2-3mins before adding ½ tin of tomatoes, ½ tin of butterbeans and a pinch of crumbled veg stock cube – simmer for about 5 mins – transfer to any oven-safe dish/bowl – crumble up a piece of brown bread and combine with about half a handful of roughly chopped rosemary leaves, pinch of salt and 1-2tbsp. olive oil – scatter this rough crumb on top of the bean mix – cook for about 15-20 mins until the topping is crisp – serve just as it is, or add extra spinach (if there’s some leftover from the curry) if you’re feeling super healthy.

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If you give any of these recipes a go, tweet @e2living and @pippacolecooks with a pic and hashtag it #4for1 #Passionforpumpkin