Make a Recipe with Pumpkin!

Ingredients

• Coarse sea salt
• 8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 sugar pumpkin (about 3 pounds), peeled and halved, seeds removed, and flesh cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1-1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 2 tbsp hulled raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted, for garnish

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Put bacon into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until bacon is almost crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; let drain.
2. Add onion to skillet with bacon grease. Cook, stirring, until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Add pumpkin, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add stock and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until pumpkin is soft and sauce has thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Season with pepper.
3. Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, and add to skillet. Add the bacon and parmesan, and toss to combine. Divide among bowls. Serve with parmesan on the side, and garnish with pepitas.

Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Pumpkin Ravioli Recipe

(from Allrecipes)

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Pasta:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp water

Directions

1. Mix the cheese, pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the nutmeg. Set filling aside.
2. Mix the flour, with remaining salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the flour. Beat the tomato paste, oil and eggs until well blended, and pour into the well in the flour. Stir with a fork, gradually bring the flour mixture to the center of the bowl until the dough makes a ball. If the dough is too dry, mix in up to 2 tablespoons of water.
3. Knead lightly on a floured, surface, adding flour if dough is sticky, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover, and let rest for another 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll the dough, one part at a time, into a rectangle about 12-by-10-inches. Keep the rest of the dough covered while working.
4. Drop 2 level teaspoons of filling onto half of the rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches apart in 2 rows of 4 mounds each. Moisten the edges of the dough, and the dough between the rows of pumpkin mixture with water. Fold the other half of the dough up over the pumpkin mixture, pressing the dough down around the pumpkin. Cut between the rows of filling to make ravioli; press the edges together with a fork, or cut with a pastry wheel. Seal edges well. Repeat with the remaining dough and pumpkin filling. Place ravioli on towel. Let stand, turning once, until dry, about 30 minutes.
5. Cook ravioli in 4 quarts of boiling salted water just until tender; drain carefully.

Yield: Makes 6 servings.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

(from the Joy Kitchen)

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/3 cup water or milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 6 tbsp (3/4 stick) butter, softened
• 1-1/3 cups sugar or 1 cup sugar plus 1/ 3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup raisins or chopped dates

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
2. Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat eggs one at a time into the butter-sugar mixture. Add pumpkin and beat on low speed until blended. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture in three parts, beating on low speed and stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Fold in nuts and dates.
4. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on a rack.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

(from More-With-Less by Doris Janzen Longacre)

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks or 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 cups mashed, cooked pumpkin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup cream

Directions

1. Scald (heat without boiling or burning) milk in a double boiler. Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and vanilla in a bowl and add to the hot milk.
2. Cook (heat to steaming) ingredients 4 minutes longer and then let cool. Add cream.
3. Pour into a freezer container and crank until stiff.

Yield: Makes 10 servings.

Now that you’ve seen all the delicious ways that this friendly, orange squash can be put to use; hurry up and go find one at your nearest pumpkin patch. If you’re already a pumpkin fan, share some of your favorite recipes by posting a comment below.

For more savory pumpkin recipes, try this stunningly orange Squash Apple Soup by Ken Haedrich.