Doce de abóbora

Doce de abóbor is a sweet pumpkin compote popular in Brazil & Portugal. It is available either as a firm, chewy sweet (much like the fruit cheese I've posted about), or more commonly as a thick, cinnamon scented preserve. It is usually served with fresh cheese as a dessert (it goes beautifully with quark or ricotta), but can also be added to cornbread or muffin batter or warmed and dolloped over ice cream. My favourite use for it is to spread it on toast - yum! You can also find Doce de abóbor com coco, which is pumpkin & coconut preserve. Whatever version you try, it's a great way to use up a cheap Halloween pumpkin and will give you a sweet, buttery jam that will be a happy companion to pancakes, waffles & toasted muffins. Using a well flavoured, dense textured winter squash like Crown Prince or Hubbard will give you deeply complex, rich flavour (not that I'm biased!). This is a fairly simple recipe, but don't be tempted to omit the water, it's there to keep everything from catching on the pan & burning.

Doce de Abóbor

1.6kg pumpkin or squash, peeled & cut into 2cm chunks (if you want to make Doce de abóbor com coco you'll need 800g pumpkin & 115g dessicated unsweetened coconut)
450g sugar (I use demerara)
200ml (just shy of 1 cup) water
1 cinnamon quill

Tip the water, pumpkin, sugar & cinnamon into a large pan & slowly bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft. If it needs a little assistance breaking down to a puree, mash with a fork, back of a spoon or potato masher (if using coconut, stir that in now). Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened, but not stiff (think porridge consistency. As ususal). Spoon into clean, sterlised jars & store in the fridge once opened. Not that it'll last long.

The next post will be about something other than pumpkins, promise!

Pumpkin Muffins

Muffins are one of those recipes that I'm never entirely satisfied with. Partly because I insist on baking them with hardly any fat & a lot of wholemeal flour, partly because there are some recipes that I just tweak into infinity (like cornbread & spaghetti squash with mushrooms), always adjusting & altering the recipe a little bit each time. There may come a day when I finally crack it & have the perfect recipe, but not have written anything down anyway!
In the meantime (while I keep tilting at my windmills), this comes pretty close, and I'll be fiddling around with the recipe (replacing the milk with cream cheese). I used cranberries this time, but any dried fruit, chopped pecans, walnuts or plain chocolate chips will work well too.

Pumpkin Muffins

225g wholemeal flour (I used spelt, but you can use any. You can even use plain flour, which will give you a lighter, fluffier muffin. Not everyone likes chomping on grit!)
200g mashed cooked pumpkin
1 egg
50ml groundnut or vegetable oil
100ml milk
75g demerara sugar
75g dried cranberries
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. line a muffin tin with paper cups. Mix together egg, pumpkin, oil, milk & sugar. Stir in the spices, cranberries & baking powder. Add the flour & stir until everything is incorporated. Spoon into paper cases & bake 20-25 minutes, or until risen & golden.

Fruity Pumpkin Scones

Another sweet recipe here. I don't usually make a lot of sweet things. I'll happily whip up a cake if visiting people for dinner, or a coconut & mango rice pudding if MikeyFox & I have a rare (usually Great British Bakeoff related) urge for pudding. But mostly I'd rather eat an apple. But right now I'm in need of comfort, and these still warm from the oven are pretty damn comforting.

Fruity Pumpkin Scones

250g wholemeal spelt flour (or plain flour, I just use it because I like my scones dense & nutty*)
50g demerara sugar
50g butter
100g mashed cooked pumpkin
75g dried mixed fruit
50ml milk
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper or dust with flour. Combine flour, spices, raising agents & sugar in a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the pumpkin mixture, and add as much milk as you need to bring it together into soft dough (how much depends on how wet your pumpkin is, you might not even need milk at all). Flop the dough onto a floured surface & roll out 3 or 4cm thick. Cut out shapes (I used a pumpkin cookie cutter, but you can use anything to hand) & arrange on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk & bake for 20-25 minutes, or until risen & golden on top.
Serve warm or cold with butter, or cottage cheese and a cup of tea.

*Cue I-like-my-women-like-I-like-my-scones jokes (covered in BEES!)

Squash & Barley Bake

Here's another favourite recipe that I've been making for years. I like using pearl barley because it's cheap* & has a lovely nutty flavour that goes beautifully with squash. If you're feeling flush, pearled spelt works really well too. If you've been organised enough to soak them overnight, sprouted wheat berries are delicious too.

Squash & Barley bake

175g Pearl barley
600ml vegetable stock
1 onion, sliced
2 tbs vegetable oil
450g winter squash, peeled & cut into 2cm-ish chunks
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
200g passata (or fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped)
50g stilton or strong cheddar
1 tbs sage, chopped
salt & pepper

Rinse pearl barley & put in a pan with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil & simmer for 40 minutes, or until barley is tender. Preheat oven to 180C/350F & grease a large ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a pan & fry onion until translucent. Add the squash, mushrooms & sage & cook for 5 minutes. Add passata (or chopped tomatoes) & simmer until squash is tender, adding a little water if necessary. Stir in the barley & season. Pour into the ovenproof dish & top with the cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted & golden. Serve with a salad, or if it's too cold for salad some steamed green beans or peas. This was eaten with some roasted beetroot - om nom nom!

*It kept us well fed in the as poor as a mouse that has just had a visit from the We Break Thumbs Collection Agency years.

Fruity Pumpkin Loaf

It's damp & misty here in North Lincolnshire. The kind of weather that is more suited to getting comfortable on the sofa with some daft TV & a cuppa rather than doing anything useful with yourself. This pumpkin cake requires a little bit of faffing around with an egg whisk, but is worth it for a dense, moist cake with sweet burst of flavour from the dried fruits. It's also made with ground almonds rather than fat, so must surely count as one of your 5-a-day. You can use any kind of pumpkin you like in this, from lovingly nurtured heirloom varieties to orange behemoths dragged home from the supermarket. You can use raisins, chopped apricots or any dried fruit you fancy. In this recipe I used a mix of dried raisins, sultanas & cherries.

Fruity Pumpkin Loaf

200g finely grated pumpkin
3 eggs
200g demerara sugar
100g ground almonds
200g spelt flour (preferably wholemeal, but if that's a bit heavy for you, half spelt & plain flour will also work. It won't be quite as deliciously sweet & nutty flavoured)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
a grating of fresh nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 170C/350F/Gs. Grease a 1lb loaf tin. Divide the eggs & put the whites in a clean, grease free bowl for later. Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar until pale & creamy (it'll take a couple of minutes). Stir in the almonds, pumpkin & dried fruit. Add the flour & spices & stir. Remember the egg whites? Beat them until they form soft peaks. This won't take too long. If the house is empty, sing the daftest song you know to keep yourself going ('Tinker of Rye' by Christopher Lee). If the house is occupied, sing anyway, and threaten those who berate your singing with a long and cakeless existence. Using a metal spoon, stir a spoonful of the whisked egg white into the cake mix. This will loosen it up and make folding in the rest of the egg much easier. be gentle when adding the rest of the egg white, and pour into the loaf tin, getting everything nice & level.
Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer prodded in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes or so before turning out. serve with a cup of tea, or a smidge of jam and always say yes to a second slice.

Porotos Granados

Porotos Granados is a hearty Chilean pumpkin & bean stew (the name comes from a Chilean bean called Cranberry bean in English packed full of flavour, and despite being a summer dish in its native land, its the perfect thing to eat in the colder month before we get into the seriously chuffing freezing weather. And yes, I'm rather fond of Chilean food these days, it's a cuisine that really appreciates its pumpkins & beans (there is a common saying in Chile eres mas chileno que los porotos - You're more Chilean than beans!). Cranberry beans aren't available in the UK (I've not found any yet, so they may have to join Anasazi beans on the long list of Fine-I'll-Grow-It-My-Bloody-Self vegetables*) so I usually use chickpeas or pinto beans but whatever you have available will work well too

Porotos Granados (serves 4)

750g winter squash (preferably a good, flavoursome variety like crown prince or kabocha, or good old butternut) peeled, deseeded & cut into 2cm-ish chunks
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
400g can of chickpeas (or 100g dried beans soaked overnight)
200g french beans, cut into short lengths
200g sweetcorn
1 tsp smoked paprika
a handful of fresh oregano, chopped
salt & pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan & fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, pumpkin, paprika & half the oregano. Add the vegetable stock & simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, chickpeas & sweetcorn & simmer until pumpkin is tender (5 minutes or so). Season & stir in the rest of the oregano. Leave to stand a few minutes & serve.

Om nom nom!
Right-o, off to make some Doce de abóbora!

*Because cephalopodic gods forbid that I abandon a recipe just because the ingredients aren't available in this country!

Pastel de Choclo

Pastel de Choclo (which translates as 'Corn Pie') is Chiles favourite home cooked meal (according to Chilean internet site www.terra.cl), beating Porotos Granados (more on that tomorrow) and Empanadas. If you've ever tried it, you'll know why. Pastel de Choclo is real comfort food, a sort of Chilean version of shepherds pie. A rich stew (traditionally made with beef or chicken, but here I'm using chickpeas & winter squash) topped with a creamy mashed sweetcorn, like a richer, softer textured version of Tamale bake (but even more delicious!) They've been eating it in Chile & Peru since the 1800's, and it's about damn time we got in on the action too.

Pastel de Choclo (serves 4)
500g winter squash (I like butternut or crown prince), peeled, deseeded & cut into 1cm-ish chunks
2 onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, sliced
2 tbs vegetable oil
500ml passata
400g (1 can) chickpeas
2 tbs raisins
handful of sliced green olives
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
salt & pepper

Topping
3 cups sweetcorn (thawed if frozen)
3 tbs cornflour
100ml milk (or non dairy milk to keep it vegan)
1 tsp basil
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. If you have a good sized cazuela, use it. If not, a deep ovenproof dish works fine too. You can also divide it into 4 individual dishes too.
Heat the oil in a large pan & fry the onion until translucent. Add the carrot & squash & cook for 5 minutes. Add the herbs, chickpeas, passata, olives, raisins & cook until the squash is tender. Season & pour into the baking dish.
To make the sweetcorn topping, put all the ingredients into a blender & pulse until you get a coarse mix that's somewhere between hummus & porridge. Spoon over the squash mixture, making sure to seal all the edges & bake for 45 minutes, or until the sweetcorn topping is golden & the tomato sauce bubbling up around the edges.

If you must serve it with something, fried plantains & green beans are happy companions.
Once you've tried it, experiment with different fillings! Mushrooms & beans in a mole sauce is pretty heavenly, as is seitan & pinto beans. A few chopped hard boiled eggs in there will go down well too.

Om nom nom!