This time of year, there are more pumpkins in the shops than anything else, we love carving out pumpkins as much as the next person, but did you know that more than 8 million pumpkins are expected to be binned uneaten this year.
So, we have put together a couple of recipes to make you think twice when walking past the pumpkins.
Pumpkin hummus
Ingredients
1 small pumpkin (about 500g)
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ lemon juiced
2 tbsp tahini paste
400g can chickpeas, drained
1 red pepper, deseeded, and sliced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded, and sliced
mini breadsticks and pitta chips, to serve
Method
Cut the top off the pumpkin, about two-thirds of the way up. Remove the pumpkin seeds, then scoop the flesh out of the bottom and the lid.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the pumpkin flesh into pieces and put in a roasting tin with the garlic and a good amount of oil. Season, then bake for 45 mins until very tender. Leave to cool.
Tip the pumpkin into a food processor with any juices from the roasting tin and the garlic. Add the lemon juice, tahini paste and chickpeas. Season with salt and blend to a paste – add a little more oil if it's too thick.
Scoop the hummus back into the pumpkin and serve with the peppers, breadsticks and pitta chips.
Pumpkin pancakes
Ingredients
200g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
200ml milk
100g of pumpkin, mashed
1 egg, separated
Method
Tip the flour into a bowl and add the baking powder.
Measure the milk into a jug and stir in the pumpkin followed by the egg yolk.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually add the milk mixture until you have a lump-free batter. Alternatively, tip everything into a blender and whizz it.
Whisk the egg white until stiff, then fold it into the batter.
Heat a non-stick pan and cook 1 large or 3 small pancakes at a time (if making small pancakes, use 1 tbsp for each). Wait until lots of bubbles have risen to the top and the surface has begun to dry out before turning them over, keep an eye on the base to make sure it doesn’t get too brown.
No bake pumpkin cheese cake
Ingredients
300g gingernut biscuits
350ml maple syrup (plus extra to serve)
350g full-fat cream cheese
300g pumpkin purée
300ml double cream
Method
Blitz 250g of the biscuits in a food processor with 125ml of the syrup until it resembles fine crumbs. Line a 20cm springform tin with baking parchment, then firmly push the crumbs into the base, transfer to the fridge and chill for 30 mins.
Beat 100ml of the syrup with the cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Whip 200ml of the cream with 100ml of the syrup to soft peaks. Fold into the cream cheese mixture, then spoon over the base and level the top. Cover and freeze overnight.
Lightly whip the remaining cream with the remaining syrup and dollop over the cheesecake. Crumble over the remaining biscuits and drizzle over some extra syrup. Leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.
Who knew pumpkin could be so versatile and yummy!
