How can you cook with pumpkins

A.� Demand for pumpkins has shot up in recent years, and they herald the approach of autumn. Warmer temperatures mean farmers have produced more and more pumpkins., although this year's crop may not be quite so high. They are not just being used to make Halloween lanterns either. Sales of pumpkins to eat have grown and varieties like Crown Prince, which has bright orange flesh, are proving more and more popular.

The most popular option is a pie or soup, but there are lots of other ways to use to flesh. Some varieties have a delicate flavour, but many people find the flesh is tasteless, so you need to be quite inventive.

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Q.� What is their history

A.� Pumpkins have been around for centuries. The name originates from the greek word for a large melon, which is pepon. Shakespeare referred to pumpion in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Native Americans dried strips of pumpkins and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin over an open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the top of a pumpkin, removed the seeds and filled with insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then roasted in hot ashes.

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Q.� What else can you make

A.� Ginger and pumpkin jam is a good way of spicing the flesh, it works well with soups and stews with beans and lentils, curried pumpkin is a good veggie alternative, or try the classic American pumpkin pie, which is usually quite heavily spiced.

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If you're cooking with pumpkins, the best varieties are the sweet dumpling and kabocha breeds. They have a strong chestnut flavour, and can be pureed� to make stuffing for turkey. A pumpkin stuffed with spiced turkey and cashew nuts is an impressive centrepiece for a Hallowe'en supper.

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Try cream of pumpkin, potato and leek soup. Take:

250g/8oz chopped pumpkin

10g/4oz potato

100g/4oz leeks

1 clove chopped garlic

2-3 tbsps olive oil

1 litre chicken stock

300ml/ 10fl oz single cream

salt and pepper

Peel and chop pumpkin and potato into chunks. Chop white parts of leeks into rondels. Fry the garlic in the oil in a large saucepan and add pumpkin, potato and leek. Sweat the vegetables for about 20 minutes. Add half the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until vegetables are soft. Cool for a while and then puree in a food processor. Return to the saucepan, add the rest of the stock, season and stir in the cream.

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Try lentil and pumpkin stew. Take:

100g/4oz Le Puy lentils

1 bay leaf

3 medium onions, sliced

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

500g/ 1 lb prepared pumpkin flesh, in large chunks

6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1tsp thyme

1 tsp sugar

�salt and pepper

Cook the lentils in plenty of boiling water with the bay leaf until tender (after about 20 minutes). Drain and throw away the bay leaf. Gently fry the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the pumpkin and toss in a little oil to coat it. Add the lentils, tomatoes, thyme and sugar, then season to taste. Stew until pumpkin is tender.

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By Katharine MacColl

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