When I was a child we had a family friend from the Midwest who called me "Punkin." The name made no sense to me — even after my mother explained that it was a friendly version of "pumpkin," and that it meant this friend thought of me as special. All I could think about were the scary faces on Halloween Jack-o-lanterns and Cinderella's carriage, which turned into a useless pumpkin after midnight.

Could I, too, be transformed into something other than myself, I wondered?

Now I laugh at my youthful reasoning, but I still have to make a conscious effort to enunciate the word "pumpkin" properly. As for the transformative powers of pumpkin, it all happens in the kitchen now. What other food serves as decoration, dinner and snack food all at the same time?


If you're not going to carve a Jack-o-lantern, look for pumpkins that are small — up to 6 or 7 pounds — to get the best flavor. Small pumpkin varieties, often called sugar or cooking pumpkins, have sweeter and denser flesh. Larger pumpkins, which are still edible, have more subtle flavor, but since the flesh can be stringy, they must be cooked longer and are best used as a purée.

Look for pumpkins that are the same color throughout, whether that is orange, white or anything in between. Avoid green pumpkins since a partially green pumpkin probably will not ripen further. Pumpkins with soft spots have been bruised and should also be avoided. Cracked pumpkins aren't a problem as long as the crack is not soft or moldy.

To cook fresh pumpkin, cut a small piece from across the bottom so the pumpkin will sit flat, then cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and stringy pulp. Cut the remain-ing pumpkin into large chunks and bake in a large roasting pan at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until soft. When cool, use a knife to slip off the skin, and use the cooked pulp in stews or soups.

One of my favorite recipes calls for the addition of cooked pumpkin cubes to risotto that has been flavored with sage and butter. Cooked pumpkin can also be puréed for use in your favorite pumpkin-pie recipe.

A whole cooked pumpkin makes a spectacular serving bowl for soup of any kind.
Slice off the stem end of a whole 8 pound pumpkin about 2 inches from the top and set it aside. Scrape out the seeds and strings, pat the inside dry with a paper towel, then brush the pumpkin inside and out with about two tablespoons of melted butter. Place the pumpkin and the lid on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the flesh is soft.

Remove from oven, pour out any liquid that may have accumulated and allow the pumpkin to cool until it can be easily handled. Fill the pumpkin with soup, replace the lid and serve. The cooked pumpkin meat can be scooped out with the soup, as long as you're careful not to puncture the skin.

Whole, uncut pumpkin can be stored at room temperature for one to two months. Cooked pumpkin should be used within a week.

Eighty percent of fresh pumpkins are sold in just a few weeks in October and November, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy pumpkin all year. There's no beating the convenience of canned pure pumpkin to fill out the texture and flavor of bean and pasta dishes. Canned pumpkin purée makes mashed potatoes more interesting and will help thicken soup. It's also the main ingredient in most pumpkin-pie recipes.


Kids love to carve pumpkins and you can make it easier for them by providing safe tools. Use an ice cream scoop to scrape out the seeds and strings. The scoop can also be used to scrape away some of the flesh, resulting in thinner walls that are easier to cut. An apple corer can be used to pierce the skin and make circles, while cookie cutters will leave eye and nose holes with interesting shapes.

In this climate, pumpkins are more at risk of drying out than rotting. A shriveled Jack-o-lantern can be brought back to life by soaking it in water for a few minutes, then drying the surfaces.


Pumpkin is naturally nutritious, containing plenty of vitamin A, but it's the seeds — known as pepitas — that are the nutritional powerhouse. Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein as well as zinc, a nutrient that has been shown to build strong bones, maintain a healthy prostate and even calm anxiety. That roasted pumpkin seeds make a tasty snack is an added bonus.

To prepare seeds for roasting, rinse them under running water without allowing them to soak. Drain, spread on a brown paper bag and allow them to air dry.

Pour about a tablespoon of oil in a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder and 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin. Whisk the spices so they're incorporated into the oil, then add about 1 cup of pumpkin seeds. The seeds can then be roasted either in the oven by spreading them on a cookie sheet and baking at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or by stirring the seeds in a skillet over moderately high heat for about 2 minutes. When they are done, sprinkle with salt and cool.

Here is a recipe — originally published in the January 2005 edition of Gourmet magazine — for pumpkin-seed brittle that will keep your hands out of the kids' Halloween candy and provide you with enough protein and other healthy nutrients to overcome any sugar-induced guilt that may arise.

Note: Commercial pepitas are hulled and meatier than those saved from a typical pumpkin.

PEPITA BRITTLE

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup raw pepitas or seeds from your pumpkin

Cut a large sheet of parchment paper and anchor it to a work surface with tape. Cut another piece about the same size and set aside. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil the mixture about 10 to 15 minutes until it resembles thick and transparent bubbling gravy or registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in the pepitas using a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until the syrup crystallizes, becoming dry and grainy, about 3 to
4 minutes.

Return pan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly until sugary granules melt completely and the mixture turns a deep caramel color as the seeds are toasted by the hot sugar. This will take about 10 minutes. Carefully pour the hot caramel mixture onto the anchored parchment and cover with the reserved sheet of parchment.

Immediately, using a rolling pin, roll the mixture as thin as possible. Remove top sheet of parchment and allow brittle to cool completely. Break brittle into pieces and remove from parchment.