Long before Columbus landed in the New World, the Native Americans were cultivating and eating pumpkins. Grown together with corn and pole beans in a system known as the three sisters, the pumpkin was an important nutritional staple of early American life. The pumpkin strips were roasted and dried for winter storage, later made into corn bread, cake or pudding. Pumpkin seeds were roasted for both food and medicine.
Food historian records indicate that our ancestors enjoyed pumpkin at their second Thanksgiving celebration, but not in the form of pie. Instead, they made a sweet dessert by filling the inside of a pumpkin with milk, spices and honey and baked it in the ashes. The settlers also made pumpkin soup, and my favorite, pumpkin beer.
Pumpkin is a member of the cucurbita pepo species of squash, which includes zucchini and our favorite Halloween jack-o-lantern. Sadly, about 80% of the pumpkin crop grown in the United States today is not destined for the dining room table While the large and giant pumpkins are quite decorative, they really are not very tasty. The flesh is stringy and bland, and filled with water. The smaller pie pumpkins varieties like Winter Luxury, New England Pie and Cinnamon Girl, have a dense, sweet flesh that makes up into delicious sweet and savory dishes.
The recipe for Thai Pumpkin Bisque is from my archives and is a delightfully different and savory way to enjoy the nutritional benefits of pumpkin, which can also be enjoyed by vegans. The main seasoning, either curry powder or red curry paste, is sautéed in fat to develop its full flavors. Unless your family enjoys extremely spicy foods, use caution when first preparing this soup. Start with a small amount of seasoning, taste, add more if needed, and taste again.
I like to serve this soup for a light luncheon with corn bread, or as the first course in a festive meal. The coconut milk adds a velvety texture, and the maple syrup highlights the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. Thai Pumpkin Bisque also freezes well and is handy for a quick supper when paired with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Pumpkin Pancakes were an inspiration adapted from a recipe in the New York Times. Pumpkin (or squash puree) is blended with buttermilk and spices, then folded into a flour mixture to create a fluffy pancake. Perfect for Sunday brunch when smothered with butter and Maine maple syrup, or topped with sauteed apple slices for supper, Pumpkin Pancakes are an easy treat to prepare.
Pumpkins and squashes are winter staples of the homesteading family and New Englander’s healthy, delicious diets. Easy to cultivate in the home garden, they store and process well, and the canned puree is economical and readily available in the supermarket Interchangeable in recipes, the darker the squash, the more nutrients it contains. Packed with fiber, Vitamins A, C and E, plus cancer-fighting phytochemicals, Thai Pumpkin Bisque and Pumpkin Pancakes are both a powerhouse of good nutrition and a welcome, winter comfort food.
Thai Pumpkin Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, canola oil, or butter
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp red curry paste or curry powder *
- 3 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin 2 cans pumpkin puree
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk unsweetened
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Maine sea salt to taste
- fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onions, stir, and sauté until the onions start to soften. Add the chopped garlic and red curry paste. Stir and cook until the mixture is fragrant.
- Stir in the stock.
- Stir in the cooked pumpkin and mix well.
- Whisk in the coconut milk and maple syrup.
- Using an immersion blender or the bowl of your blender, puree the soup in small batches until smooth. Return to the soup pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for five minutes.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings if needed with Maine sea salt, curry powder, and maple syrup. Ladle into heated soup plates and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Cheryl's Notes
Nutrition
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 3/4 pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl or 4-cup measure, add the eggs and canola oil to the buttermilk.
- Whisk in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract until well blended.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and gently mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Heat a griddle or large fry pan over medium-low heat and grease lightly. Using a ¼ cup scoop, drop the batter onto the griddle.
- Cook on one side until the batter bubbles and the bubbles start to burst.
- Then turn the pancakes and cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Keep the pancakes warm on a platter in a 200-degree oven until ready to serve. Makes about 16 four-inch pancakes.
