3 Ways to Use Your Leftover Pumpkin this Halloween

Pumpkins. It’s hard to imagine Halloween without them now isn’t it? They may not have always been part of the Halloween tradition, but boy to they look great and taste good!

It’s easy to go crazy with pumpkins at this time of year. Everyone wants to carve and stores are generally massively stocked with our chubby, round, orange friends.

And from 5th October, Morrisons medium pumpkins will be just 50p a pop, whilst larger pumpkins will be the bargain price of £1.50. At those prices, who can blame someone for going wild.

With Morrisons predicting a 100% uplift in sales of its 100% British grown pumpkins at its stores alone this year, head of the M Kitchen Richard Jones has pulled together his go-to recipes for ensuring no delicious fresh produce goes to waste.

3 Ways to Use Your Leftover Pumpkin

But don’t just throw away the flesh of these flavoursome fruits. As a naturally rich source of fibre, zinc, and vitamins A, C and E, pumpkin doesn’t only taste great, but it is good for you too. Make the most of your leftovers this Halloween, with one of these three fang-tastic ways to use up your leftover pumpkin.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Root Vegetable Crisps

Add a spicy twist on this traditional Halloween favourite, with this warming autumnal soup that the whole family will enjoy. Serves four.

Ingredients

For the root vegetable crisps

• 500g mixed root vegetables (we used carrot, beetroot and celeriac)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and diced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 red chillies, sliced
• 800ml vegetable stock, made from a cube
• 2 x 200ml cans light coconut milk
• 20g pumpkin seeds, toasted
• Fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2
2. Peel the root vegetables and slice them with a mandolin or vegetable peeler into thin rounds. Lay them out on kitchen paper and pat them dry on both sides.
3. Toss the vegetables with the oil and spread out in a single layer on lined baking trays. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 30 minutes, or until crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, for the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and 1 of the chillis and cook for 2 minutes then add the squash and spices. Stir well to coat the squash and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.
5. Shake the can of coconut milk well. Reserve 1/4 of the can for garnish and pour the remaining coconut milk into the soup. Stir well and season.
6. Blend the soup until smooth and ladle into bowls. Drizzle with coconut milk and sprinkle with red chilli and pumpkin seeds. Lay a few vegetable crisps on top and garnish with fresh coriander.

Pumpkin and Lamb Curry

Add a spicy touch to your spooky spread, with this rich and delicious lamb and pumpkin curry.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 1 red chilli, diced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp hot curry powder
• 750g lamb shoulder off the bone, cut into chunks
• 1 medium squash, peeled and cut into chunks
• 5 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 x 200ml cans light coconut milk
• 400ml chicken stock, made from a cube
• 2 limes
• 400g rice, cooked
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and chilli and cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add the cinnamon, bay, garam masala, turmeric and hot curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.
2. Add the lamb and cook until browned all over. Then add the squash and stir to coat with the spices. Finally add the tomatoes, coconut milk and stock, with a little extra water if necessary to cover.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40-45 minutes until the lamb and squash are cooked through and no pink meat remains. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and serve with rice, garnished with coriander and lime wedges. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and chilli and cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add the cinnamon, bay, garam masala, turmeric and hot curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pumpkin Gratin

This tasty treat is a delicious dish that will be a sure fire hit with all your ghoulish guests.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 leeks, halved lengthways and finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
• 150ml double cream
• 150ml vegetable stock, made from a cube
• 2 tbsp hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the leeks, garlic and 4 of the thyme sprigs for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
2. Place a layer of squash in the bottom of each of four individual ovenproof dishes, top with a few of the cooked leeks and season. Repeat the layers until you’ve used up all the mixture.
3. Mix together the cream and stock and divide this between the four dishes. Top with the hazelnuts, breadcrumbs and remaining thyme leaves.
4. Cover the dishes with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes, until the squash is tender and the tops are golden brown.

If you have any other delicious suggestions on how to use up your pumpkin, please share them below.