SustainaBITES: How To Carve Your Pumpkin and Eat it Too! Part Two

Sustainabites is a reoccurring feature that delivers the freshest news about sustainable eats and eco-friendly dining destinations in our area.

Now that you have learned the ins and outs of carving pumpkins, you may be wondering what to do with the leftover pumpkin pieces. Pumpkins are a versatile gourd with recipes that go beyond breads and cheesecakes: they can serve as an accompaniment to a protein, roasted and served rustically, or pureed into a refined and delicate ingredient.

Local chefs share their favorite ways to slice, dice and serve this mainstay of the fall season. Need to harvest some pumpkin inspiration? Pumpkin specials can be found throughout the fall months at Restaurant Alba, Daddy Mims’, The Drafting Room and Georges’ Restaurant.

Sean Weinberg of Restaurant Alba

7 W King St., Malvern

For Chef Sean, pumpkins are more than just a well-rounded ingredient. “The first sign of a new season is really exciting, we are all waiting for pumpkins to signify that we are into the fall season. It’s a great time of year for food.”

Pumpkin Preference: Chef Sean enjoys cooking with two pumpkin varieties – peanut and Cinderella pumpkins. The peanut pumpkin looks like it is covered in peanut shells and has a deep chestnut flavor. The Cinderella pumpkin has a delicate, buttery flavor and contains a lot of meat for crafting seasonal fare.

Chef Sean’s Charred Pumpkin Salad With Feta Cheese, Pine Nuts and Raisins

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:

• Sherry Vinaigrette
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegars and mustard in bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil and thyme leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.

• One pumpkin, 5 to 8 lbs
• 6 oz feta cheese (preferably fresh and not in brine )
• 3 oz raisins
• 3 oz pine nuts (toasted)
• olive oil for caramelizing pumpkin
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 1b butter cubed

Quarter the pumpkin and scrape out seeds. Sprinkle cubed butter and brown sugar on top and roast until cooked at 350 degrees (be careful not to overcook). Once cool remove skin of pumpkin and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices of different sizes. In a hot and dry iron skillet ,cook pumpkin slices until they begin to char (be careful not to move them until they begin to char). Turn off flame. While the skillet is still hot add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss the pumpkin a bit to help the caramelization. At this point there will be bits of charred and caramelized pumpkin on each piece. Lay pumpkin on paper towel to drain. Arrange slices on plate and sprinkle with pine nuts, raisins and crumbled feta. Spoon the vinaigrette on top of everything. Garnish with Italian parsley leaves or leaves of celery heart

Chef Notes: Keep in mind you can change up the fruit and nuts. This makes a great accompaniment to a good cold weather roast or grilled lamb.

John Mims of Daddy Mims’

154 Bridge St., Phoenixville

In the bayou country, chefs love to cook with pumpkins and so does one local Cajun cook. “I love the consistency of pumpkins.  A pumpkin is very durable, meaning that you can cook it at a really high heat and it won’t lose a lot of flavor,” said John, Daddy Mims’ owner and Executive Chef.

Picking Tip: When Chef John isn’t in the kitchen, he loves to bang away on the drums, a habit which comes in handy when selecting squash, melons or pumpkins. Sound plays an integral role in picking a pumpkin. John listens for a pumpkin that produces a thump rather than a high pitched noise. This means the insides are soft, which will have a ripe taste instead of a bitterness.

Daddy Mims’ Cajun Style Smashed Pumpkin

Yield: 8 to 10 side dishes

Ingredients:

• 1 large pumpkin or 2 small pumpkins
• ½ lb butter
• 1 peeled whole shallot
• 1 bunch minced, fresh thyme
• 2 tbs Cajun or creole spice
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice pumpkin in half and remove the the seeds/stringy insides from the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin on a baking pan. Season pumpkin with Cajun spice and thyme. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Remove pumpkin from shell and place in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Adjust seasoning with salt.

Theo Charitos of The Drafting Room

635 North Pottstown Pike in Exton

Chef Theo encourages readers to walk away from canned pumpkins because cooking with a fresh pumpkin is a relative easy and rewarding experience for your taste buds. He also heeds readers to hold off on the cinnamon and nutmeg, “Immediately with pumpkin, people go cinnamon and nutmeg and next you thing you know you have pumpkin pie. Pumpkin actually has a lot more depth to it than that, it is a hearty winter squash.”

Picking Tip: Size and shape does matter when it comes to cooking pumpkins, they change the flavors and type of use. The water content of the pumpkin will vary based on size and that will change the consistency and flavor of the pumpkin. Theo uses a heirloom varietal for cheesecakes, a Lancaster long neck or crook neck for roasting as well as a Cinderella.

Chef Theo’s Smoked Scallops in a Porter Spiked Pumpkin Cream Over Potato Gnocchi

Yield: 4 servings

Substitutions: Brandy or just white wine for beer. Grilled chicken for smoked scallops.
Ingredients:

• Scallops
• 12 sea scallops
• ¼ cup apple wood
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 3 tbsp salt and pepper
• 1 tsp coriander

Clean and take the side mussel off of the scallops. Mix the water, sugar, and spices. Place the scallops in the brine and let soak 1 hour.

For use with an outside gas grill: using heavy duty aluminum foil, wrap wood chips or chunks into packages, each about the size of a fist. Poke a hole in the foil. Place the wood packages directly over the burner you’ll be using, positioned under the grate and directly on top of the lava rocks or metal shield. Turn the burner on medium or medium-high. When you see your gas grill smoking, place the scallops on the grate, opposite the smoking wood, and close the cover. Maintain the temperature at 225 to 250 degrees until the scallops are done (about 10 minutes or so). Reserve and let stand until needed.

Sauce:

• ¼ cup minced Vidalia onion
• 1 tsp ginger ground spice
• 1 tbsp blended 10% oil
• 4 fl oz Flying Dog Gonzo Porter
• 6 fl oz apple cider
• 1 cup peeled, deseeded, and diced pumpkin
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 12 fl oz chicken stock
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cumin

In a sauce pan, sweat off onions, pumpkin, and ginger in oil until tender. De-glaze with porter and let reduce for about five minutes. Add cider and stock and let simmer ten minutes. As pumpkin becomes soft you can either use an immersion blender or whisk it apart, until it incorporates into the sauce. Add cream and seasonings. Let simmer and whisk until fully blended together. Keep in pot and let simmer.

Pasta:

• 3 each Julienne sun-dried 5 lb tomato
• 1/3 cup fresh spinach
• 16 oz gnocchi pasta

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi. Boil until soft approximately six to seven minutes or until the gnocchi float in the water. In a sauce pan saute tomatoes and spinach in a little bit off oil. Add pumpkin cream and gnocchi. Toss together and top with smoked scallops. Season as needed.

Chris Siropaides of Georges’ Restaurant

503 W. Lancaster Avenue in Wayne     

While on your quest for the perfect pumpkin for some seasonal fare, Chef Chris recommends selecting a small pumpkin that is completely orange. Ripe pumpkins have a hard shell and should not dent or scratch easily. Before you pay for your pumpkin, make sure your pumpkin has no cracks or holes.

Georges’ Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups half and half
• 1- 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 10 cups cubed thick cut egg-bread
• ½ cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, spices and vanilla in a bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes and golden raisins. Transfer to an 11×7 inch glass baking dish. Let sit 15 minutes to absorb the custard into the bread. Bake until a tester inserted into the middle of the bread pudding comes out clean. Serve warm with store bought caramel sauce and with ice cream of your choice.

Last but certainly not least, here is a seasonal cocktail to lift any body’s spirits.

SIPP Pumpkin-tini

• 2 oz. Rum or Vanilla Vodka
• 1 oz. Half and Half
• 3/4 oz. Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 oz. SIPP Ginger Blossom
• All-spice

Fill a shaker with ice and add the first 3 ingredients.  Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Top off with SIPP Ginger Blossom and garnish with All-spice. Cheers!