From Farm to Kitchen: Pumpkin Palooza

A holiday special: Pumpkin Curry made with fresh ingredients from the farmers markets.

I love supporting local farmers at farmers markets, but getting to actually visit a farm sends me into a flurry of locavore bliss. And cooking with the goodies I bring home? I can’t begin to explain the profound – yet simple – importance of knowing that I am creating a nourishing and delicious meal that is not only making my ohana (family) and I better but my community as well.

The other day, I visited a pumpkin patch down the street from my home in Waimanalo and brought back two marvelous orange orbs of ono (deliciousness). I immediately set to work in the kitchen, and here’s what I came up with (using only one 6-lb. pumpkin!) In addition to making the recipes you see below, I processed about 9 cups of pumpkin puree to freeze for Thanksgiving pies!

I still have the other pumpkin waiting for me, so send me some suggestions of what you think I should make with it! In the meantime, you can try your hand at these recipes after visiting one of our local farmers markets and taking the fresh ingredients back to your hotel. If you don’t have a kitchen area to cook in, then try this recipe when you get back home.

Pumpkin Curry

*Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1-3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 cups pumpkin, peeled, seeded* and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1-1/2 pounds chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Heat oil in large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onion for 10 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and sauté 1 minute, until fragrant.

2. Pour in ¼ cup coconut milk and stir in both curries until blended. Add remaining coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and sugar. Add pumpkin chunks and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium to retain a vigorous simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add chicken and peppers and bring back up to a simmer. Cook for another 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked throughly and pumpkin is tender. Stir in lime juice. Serve over rice or quinoa.

Don’t Forget the Seeds!

I mixed my seeds in a coconut oil-yellow curry-cayenne-sea salt frenzy, then set them to bake on an oiled baking sheet at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. You don’t need to use my spice concoction. Get creative and make your own fabulous pumpkin seeds!

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

*Serves 2

• ½ cup fresh pureed pumpkin (or canned, if fresh is not available)
• ¼- ½ cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 vanilla bean (or ¼ tsp. vanilla extract)
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
• 2 scoops Vanilla bean ice cream
• 2 graham crackers, crumbled
• whipped cream

1. Place pumpkin, almond milk, vanilla, ice cream and spice in the blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined. Add ice to increase thickness.
2. Pour milkshake in glass. Top generously with whipped cream and graham cracker crumbles. Enjoy!

Posted by: Bruce Fisher on Oct 16, 2011