Pumpkin Recipes

Summer has done its job, and the pumpkins have all been harvested. Here’s two quick, easy and tasty recipes designed to help you enjoy members of the gourd family.

Butternut Soup with a Kick

Ingredients:
• 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and deseeded
• tbsp olive oil
• tbsp butter
• onions, diced
• clove of garlic, thinly sliced
• mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 850ml vegetable stock
• tbsp crème fraîche plus more to serve

Method:
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan forced.
• Cut peeled and deseeded butternut pumpkin into large cubes, about 4cm, then toss in a large roasting tin with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.
• Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft.
• While the butternut squash cooks, melt 1 tbsp butter with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then add 2 diced onions, 1 thinly sliced garlic clove and ¾ of the 2 deseeded and finely chopped red chillies.
• Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the onions are completely soft.
• Tip the butternut squash into the pan, add 850ml hot vegetable stock and 4 tbsp crème fraîche, then whizz with a stick blender/food processor until smooth.
• Return to the pan, gently reheat, then season to taste.
• Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of crème fraîche and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli.

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
• 225g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon (or 2 tsp pumpkin spice)
• 100g caster sugar
• 50g light brown sugar
• 200g cooked, mashed pumpkin
• 2 large eggs
• 125g salted butter, melted

Method
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan forced. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and both sugars together in a large bowl. Break up any lumps of brown sugar by rubbing them between your fingers.
• Whisk the mashed pumpkin and eggs together in a jug, then add to the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Mix until just combined.
• Bake for 15 mins until golden and risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Lift onto a wire rack to cool. Will keep for three days in an airtight container.

• Topics:

• Health & Wellbeing
• Food