Pumpkin is one of those ingredients that everyone says they love but that many buy without really knowing how to exploit every part of it: you take it, open it, use the pulp for some preparation that is always the same, and the rest, i.e. peel and seeds, ends up irremediably in the dustbin.
It’s an absurd waste, especially because some varieties have a perfectly edible peel full of nutrients, while the seeds, if toasted correctly, become a healthy, crunchy and perfect snack to accompany dishes that would otherwise be a bit monotonous. The objective here is simple: to transform a single pumpkin into a complete menu made up of four real recipes, within everyone’s reach, without the magic of starred chefs but with criteria, taste and respect for what we bring to the table.
Before talking about recipes, let’s be clear: not all pumpkins are suitable for eating the peel.
If you plan to use everything, you should choose Delica, Hokkaido (also known as Red Kuri), Butternut or Mantovana, because they have a thin, edible skin that, if cooked correctly, is pleasant to the palate.
When you buy pumpkins, don’t just rely on the general appearance, but check three essential things: hard and opaque skin, a sign of correct maturation; high weight compared to size, because it means that it is nice and full inside and not spongy; petiole well attached, never soft or missing, because a fruit without a petiole begins to dry and deteriorate much sooner. If you get it at the market, ask for the one that doesn’t fit too much in the window, preferably one that has just been unloaded by the farmers who work with it every day.
Once home, wash it carefully, even with a brush to remove all residues of soil, at this point you can finally cut it. Divide it in two, remove the seeds with a spoon and set them aside, because you will use them later, while the pulp will go into two of the main recipes on the menu: the velouté and the risotto. The peel, on the other hand, will give life to crunchy chips perfect as an accompaniment or aperitif.
The creamy pumpkin soup
Ingredients (4 people):
Velvety soup is the recipe that everyone makes with pumpkin, but they often ruin it by adding cream without criteria, transforming a natural, clean and light dish into a soup that tastes of little.
Here it is done differently: pumpkin is so rich in starch that it does not need external help to become creamy. Just flavor it in a pan with a thinly chopped onion and extra virgin olive oil, without burning anything, then add hot broth little by little and cook until the pulp loses resistance and allows itself to be crushed without a fight. At that point, everything is blended with a mixer to create a velvety, smooth and dense cream at the right point, which can be served immediately. A sprinkling of black pepper is enough to give it character, while if you want a more elegant aroma you can use a drizzle of quality raw oil.
Pumpkin risotto
Ingredients (4 people):
The risotto is not complicated, but it requires attention, you start with the onion, finely chopped, left to fry in a little oil without coloring it, then you pour in the rice and toast it until it becomes shiny, a sign that each grain is coated in oil and ready not to become mushy during cooking. After blending with white wine, the pumpkin cut into small pieces is added, which must almost melt while the risotto takes shape, transforming into a natural cream that envelops the grains. The broth is added in ladles as it dries, and is mixed continuously, without letting go. When the rice is cooked to the right point, i.e. creamy but with a slight resistance to the bite, it is creamed with cold butter and Parmesan, no cream, because it would be like adding sugar to already sweet coffee. It is covered, left to rest for two minutes and served without waiting too long.
Pumpkin peel chips
Ingredients:
The peel is often treated as the worst part of the pumpkin, however it can become a surprise: once cut into fairly regular strips, dried well and seasoned with oil, salt and the spice you prefer, just spread it on a baking tray without overlapping it and place it in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for about ten minutes, until it becomes crunchy and irresistible. If you leave it too long, it burns and becomes bitter. These chips work wonderfully as a stand-alone snack but are also excellent as a topping to give character to soups that are too uniform.
Toasted seeds
Ingredients:
The seeds must be cleaned of filaments without laziness, rinsed and dried well. Once ready, they are seasoned with a drizzle of oil and a little salt, spread out on baking paper and toasted in the oven at 180°C for less than ten minutes: the scent will tell you when it’s time to turn it off. The result is a crunchy, nutritious and damn better snack than industrial ones.
Cooking well means not wasting
With just one pumpkin you managed to build a complete and satisfying menu: a warm and reassuring velvety soup, perfect even on the worst days, a creamy risotto that never misses a beat, peel chips that overturn every idea about the supposed “waste” and finally those toasted seeds that become the crunchy snack you didn’t think you wanted. With just one ingredient you have filled the table, reduced waste to a minimum and given value to every part of the product, saving money and making an intelligent and sustainable choice. Today you know that throwing away half a pumpkin is simply a sign of laziness or lack of imagination in the kitchen, and now that you’ve seen how generous it can be, using every last bit is no longer advice: it’s the only sensible way to treat it.
