Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love (2024)

FAQs

What flavor pairs best with pumpkin? ›

To complement pumpkin with sweet flavor pairings, consider using spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla, or sweet ingredients like chocolate, maple, honey, cranberries or brown sugar. Create savory dishes by pairing pumpkin with spices like chilies, cajun, cayenne or pepper.

Yes, you can use that stringy slimy stuff in the middle of the pumpkin: put it in a pan with plenty of water, and boil it to make a thin broth. Strain the broth, then mix it with apple or orange juice and mulling spices for an aromatic autumnal warmer.

Get Creative. Puree your pulp on its own and add it to canned pumpkin puree to boost flavor in pumpkin recipes like pumpkin bread. You may also add the puree directly to foods like oatmeal, rice and risotto, hummus and butter—for pumpkin butter.

Briefly cooking your canned pumpkin purée on the stove can help improve both the flavor and texture. This method helps reduce excess moisture, which gives the pumpkin a superior texture. It also releases the natural pumpkin flavor and helps reduce the metallic taste from the can.

Raw pumpkin is mostly water — up to 90%! — so it really doesn't have much flavor. In fact, the flavor that we usually think of as “pumpkin” is actually pumpkin pie spice, a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Pumpkin is notorious for pairing well with warm winter spices – as found in a variety of Moroccan-inspired cuisines. Try incorporating cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cumin and chilli with your pumpkin dishes for flavour-packed feasts.

And, don't forget the tasty pumpkin leaves and flowers are also edible. Even the pumpkin vines are edible. However, the stem, skin, and stringy sinews inside the fruit are not used in cooking or baking.

What kind of pumpkin do you have? Carving pumpkins tend to have thinner walls and flesh that is stringy (think: spaghetti squash) and flavorless but relatively easy to carve. You'll often find them displayed outside grocery stores.

The answer may surprise you! A pumpkin is, in fact, a fruit. According to expert Joe Masabni, Ph. D., Texas A&M Agri Life Extension Service vegetable specialist in Dallas, scientifically speaking, a pumpkin is a fruit simply because anything that starts from a flower is botanically a fruit.

Pumpkins that haven't rotted yet have lots of use on farms—all kinds of livestock enjoy nibbling on the scraps. “Goats, chickens, pigs, and even the farm dogs enjoy munching on pumpkins, and they are filled with nutrients,” says Chriss Hall of Triple H Farm in Swansea, South Carolina.

What eats leftover pumpkins? ›

Pumpkins can be used to help the animals right outside your door. Squirrels, birds and deer can feed on those fruits. You can also get creative and do a fun project for the kids. Gourds can be transformed into a small home for birds and other creatures.

Freeze it: Cooked or raw pumpkin can be frozen. Cut raw pumpkin and store in a labelled sealable freezer bag or container. If you have pumpkin puree you can freeze them in ice cube trays then transfer into a freezer bag or container.

The short answer is yes, dogs can eat pumpkin. In fact, if prepared correctly, pumpkin can be a beneficial addition to your pet's diet. It's naturally rich in fiber as well as vitamins A, C, and E and minerals like potassium and iron.

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat. Field pumpkin types are larger, have watery, stringy flesh, and are best for decorating.

Is Pumpkin Puree the Same as Pure Pumpkin? Yes, canned pumpkin can be labeled as 100% pure pumpkin or just as pumpkin puree. They are the same product. Both canned pumpkin puree and pie filling are useful, shelf-stable ingredients that can help speed up your kitchen prep time.

Pumpkin Pie and 20-Year Tawny Port

When it comes to pumpkin pie pairings, after-dinner coffee is no match for a quality port. This pie begs for more sweetness. Enter Tawny Port.

Seasoning canned pumpkin purée with spices is a surefire way to improve the flavor. But don't stop at a teaspoon of cinnamon powder or a dash of nutmeg there.

Pumpkin Vanilla Scent

Both notes complement each other perfectly. Vanilla carries the proverbial mouth-watering aroma while pumpkin adds a hint of freshness and spiciness. This is the reason why many skincare products like lotions and shower gels come in the pumpkin vanilla fragrance.