5 Must-try Pumpkin Recipes

Halloween provides the perfect excuse to dress up in spooky outfits from the likes of Morph costumes, overindulge in sickly treats and transform your abode into a murder mansion or haunted house. It’s also a great time to carve pumpkins but if you don’t want to see all that juicy pulp from the middle go to waste, here are five things you could do with it.

1. Classic Pumpkin Pie

To make this Halloween classic follow these simple steps:

• Mix ¾ cup of granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, a pinch of salt, a pinch of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves.
• Beat two eggs in a large bowl, add 15oz of blended pumpkin and stir into the sugar/spice mixture. Gradually add 12fl.oz of evaporated milk.
• Pour into a pie tin and bake on a medium temperature for around an hour or until you can insert a knife into the middle and it comes away clean.

2. Pumpkin Pie Shakes

Pumpkin Pie Shakes are easy to make and taste delicious. All you need to do is:

• Add 2 large scoops of vanilla ice cream, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of blended pumpkin, ¼ cup of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to a blender and whizz up until smooth.
• Pour the ice cream mixture into glasses leaving about an inch at the top.
• Whip double cream until it thickens and spread over the top. Sprinkle on a little extra pumpkin spice and serve immediately.

3. Pumpkin Ravioli

If you fancy something savoury, here’s a great pasta recipe that will have your mouth watering:

• While it’s easy to buy ravioli from a supermarket, learning how to make your own will give this dish an extra twist. It’s not as difficult as you might think, so why not take on the challenge?
• Once your pasta is ready, make a delicious filling by combining 1 cup of blended pumpkin with 2 tablespoons of dry breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon of minced fresh sage, a dash of ground nutmeg and stir well.
• Next, cut your pasta into small squares (approximately 8cm by 8cm) and place a small dollop of mixture into the centre of each one. Fold the squares in half and push the edges together with a fork to ensure they’re completely sealed.
• Fill a large pan with water, cook for 4-5 minutes until the pasta is properly cooked and drizzle with a homemade cheese sauce.

4. Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup is a quick and easy dish that makes for a great appetiser or lunch so here’s how to make it:

• If you’ve carved a pumpkin for Halloween use about ¼ of the flesh and boil it up with one chopped onion, 6 cups of chicken stock, ½ teaspoon of chopped chives, 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped parsley, 1 glove of garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add chili if you want your soup to have a spicy twang.
• Puree the soup in small batches, swirl through some heavy whipping cream and serve immediately. You can also top with toasted pumpkin seeds for added crunch.

5. Pumpkin gingerbread

The following recipe is not only unusual but oh so tasty.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup of vegetable oil and 4 eggs to a bowl and mix until smooth slowly adding 2/3 cup of water.
• Next, stir in 1 can of pumpkin puree or approximately 1 cup of fresh pureed pumpkin, 2 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of allspice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of dried cloves.
• In a separate bowl mix 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flower, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir thoroughly.
• Bake for around 1 hour in a pre-greased bread tin.

Pumpkin is a surprisingly versatile vegetable that can be used in many pumpkin recipes so why not give these a go?