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THEY'RE HERE.
Everywhere you !cok.
Pumpkins great and small...
getting ready for Halloween. I
love to load up my front deck
with several enormous speci-
mens, to greet visitors when
they come to dinner.

As you gathered from my column
two weeks ago, I love pumpkins.

1 watched CNN news this week
as the annual pumpkin contest across
North America was under way.
Eastern Canada seemed to come out
on top (as they seem to do each year)
with two beauties grown by rival
farmers, each weighing in at an
exacting 697 pounds!

When looking for your own fami-
Jy pumpkins, select specirnens heavy
_,for their size, with no blemishes or
* soft spots. Try to always get a pump-
kin with its stem attached. If you're
going to use them for cooking, the
smaller types are less stringy and
have more flesh. Less seeds too.

Here are some tips for cooking
and using pumpkin.

Steaming: Cut pumpkin in half
or quarters. Remove string part and
all seeds (save to roast). Peel and cut
into chunks. Steam in a vegetable
steamer set over boiling water 45-55
minutes, covered tightly. Pumpkin
should be very soft and tender. Mash
and use in pies or desserts, Or mash
with a large nob of butter, season
with salt and pepper, and serve as a
vegetable.

Freezing: Boil, bake or steam

- pumpkin. Mash and cool. Spoon
flesh into small zip-loc baggies, leav-
ing a bit of air space (pumpkin will
expand as it freezes). Seal airtight
“and freeze up to six months. Defrost
and use as needed.

Baking (my favorite method —
and the easiest one); Great for the
small, sweet varieties. Pierce whole
pumpkin in several places with a
sharp ice pick. Place on shallow pan,
in centre of a 350°F (190°C) oven
and bake atiout 60 to 90 minutes or
until very tender when pressed. Cool
to barely warm. Cut in half, remove
and discard the seeds and stringy
part. Scoop soft flesh into a large
bowl. Mash and freeze as suggested.

Hope you enjoy this week's
recipes. And don’t let the goblins get
you!

“= CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP

Serve this creamy pumpkin soup

with a doliop of sour cream (or

yogurt), and a handful of crispy crou-

tons or toasted pumpkin seeds.
Serves 4.

3c. (750 mL) cooked mashed

pumpkin

le (250 IL) half and half

1c. (256 mL) Homo milk

1 Tbsp. (15 mL) brown sugar

Tete deere dt

eae eS

Edena
sheldon

CUISINE SCENE

1/2 tsp. (2 mL} each ground cinna-
mon and nutmeg

1-2 tsp, (5-10 mL) salt

Liberal amount ground black pep-

per
Grated rind from 1! large orange

(orange part only)

Garnishes {see above)

Combine alt ingredients in large
stainless steel or enameled soup pot.
Whisk smooth, and heat over medi-
um-low heat until cooked through
(about 25 minutes, stirring now and
then). Serve piping hot.

GREAT PUMPKIN CAKE

T have been baking this wonderful
pumpkin cake for some 20 years now
— from a well-worn book put out
long ago at the Half Moon Bay
Pumpkin Festival in Califomia.

Makes one large tube (Guglehopf
or Bundt-style) cake.
1c. (250 mL) butter, softened
2c. (500 mL) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1-1/2 ¢. (375 ml.) cooked pureed

pumpkin (canned or home-

made)

2 Thsp. (30 mL) Rum

3-1/2 c. (875 mL) all-purpose flour
or cake flour, sifted

1 Tbsp. (15 mL) baking powder

2 tsp. (20 mL) pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. (5 mL) ground ginger

1/2 tsp. (2 mL) salt

Icing sugar

Cream together the softened but-
ter and sugar unti! very light, creamy
and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Gradually beat in the pumpkin puree
and the rum.

Sift together the flour, baking
powder, spices and salt, Fold dry
ingredients into the batter, Batter
should be very smooth.

Pour batter into prepared (greased
and floured) 9° (23 cm) | tube pan.

Bake in a preheated 325°F
(160°C) oven for about 90 minutes,
until a rich golden brown and done.

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MITES Diet ne,

NEWS photo Terry Fotera

NOW'S THE time to buy your holiday pumpkins, when they are
abundant and selection is at its best.

Top will spring back when pressed,
sides will have pulled in, and a thin
wooden skewer will pull out clean
when inserted into centre of cake.

Cool cake 20 minutes in pan.
Then, invert onto a wire rack and
coo! completely before slicing.

To serve cooled cake, dust top
and sides with a sifting of icing
sugar. Cut in thin slices using a ser-
rated thin-bladed bread knife.

Delicious served with Rum-
spiked whipped cream, a scoop of
vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of sour
cream on the side.

Variation: Fold into cake batter,
with other dry ingredients, 1 ¢.-(250
mL) toasted walnut pieces, and 1/2
ce. (125 mL) raisins or Sultangs.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and
bake as directed.

SUPER-SIMPLE AUTUMN
PUMPKIN CAKE

This recipe has been handed
around for as many years as 1 can
remember. No wonder! It is so sim-
ple, and so good.

So, if you aren't in a “from
scratch” mood in the kitchen, here
goes a real winner. Makes one large
10” (25 cm) tube (Guglehopf, Bundt-
type, or Angel-food) cake.

1 pkg. (18 02.) spice cake mix

Ic. (25@ mL) cocked mashed
pumpkin (canned or home
made)

1/2 c. (125 ml.) vegetable oil

1 package vanilla instant pudding
inix (regular size)

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 ¢. (125 mL) water

1/2 ¢. (125 mL) chopped walnuts

1/2 ¢, (125 mL) raisins
Grease and flour a 10" (25 cm)

tube pan. Preheat oven to 350°F .
Combine all the ingredients

(except for nuts and raisins) in a

large bowl. Beat with electric mixer

at medium-speed for a good 2 min--

utes, Beat in the nuts and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until cake
tests done. Remove from oven. Cool
in pan for 25 minutes. Then invert
cake onto a wire rack and cool com-
pletely before serving.

CAFE NORTE’S
BONGO BONGO SOUP

Regular customers to Philip and
Linda Mitchell’s Mexican eatery in
Edgemont Village have grown to
love this spicy pumpkin bisque (one
of my favorites, as well!). The secret
ingredient is a hit of maple syrup
(thanks Philip). Serves 8.
4c. (60 mL) butter

LUMBUS FARM MARKET

| EDGEMONT VILLAGE -

| Corner of Edgemont’ Blvd. P Queens

983-9330 |

We reserve the right to Hmit quantities. Pricas in otfect Wed. Gct.19, to Tues. Oct.25, 1994

si MEET AE SRAM AEA SDAA NGS OPES REM SURO PUTS DOAN Si RP ARTO AE AGEL IL AVAGO BSI EDO ELIT Aa AT

3/4 c, (175 mL) each minced celery
and carrot

1c, (250 mL) minced onion

I tsp. (5 mL) minced fresh garlic

1/4 c, (60 mL) flour

6c, (1.5 L) chicken stock

1 tsp. (5 mL) ground dried thyine

2 tsp. (10 mL) minced jalapeno
chili

1 Thsp. (15 mL) each Mexican
chili powder and cumin

1 tsp. (5 mL) ground coriander

3 Tbsp. (45 mL) maple syrup

14 oz. (398 mL) can cooked pump-
kin

1 tsp. (5 mL) salt

Sour cream, thinned with milk

Reasted pumpkin seeds

Ina large stock pot, sauté minced
vegetables in butter over medium
high heat, stirring until softened. Add
garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring.

Sift Nour over mixture, stirring.
Whisk in warmed chicken stock.
Add remaining ingredients, except
for salt und gamishes, Bring to a sim-
mer, reduce heat to low, cover and
cook | hour, stirring occasionally.

Salt soup to taste. Ladle hot soup
into bowls to serve with suggested
garnishes,

To garnish: Swirl thinned sour
cream onto top of soup in a spiral-
design. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds
as gamish.

TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

So. What do you do with all those
pumpkin seeds hauled out of the
inside before carving? Here’s what.

A great snack for munching.
Simple to do (once you get someone
to wash off the sticky-slimy mem-
brane fibres!). Here’s how.

Wash the fresh pumpkin seeds in
a large bow! using warm water (to
cover) to remove all the fibres. Drain
the seeds and dlot dry on absorbent
pover.

Coat seeds with melted butter (or
vegetable oil) in a bowl. Spread
seeds out onto a non-stick type cook-
ie sheet. Sprinkle seeds generously
with seasalt. Roast in a slow 250°F
(120°C) oven for about 30 minutes,
or until light golden brown in color.

Cool seeds. Great for crunchy
snacks. Enjoy!

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