Helloooooooweeeeeeeen & the humble Pumpkin

Its that time of year when days become shorter, skies darker and my broomstick is charged and ready to go! Slowly the reign of the pumpkin is taking the world by storm and those of us that fully embrace being a tad scary in the mornings can be just that without a flicker of concern from our perfect neighbours.

Of course my blog is about food so I ve been taking the humble pumpkin and twisting it with great enthusiasm with some interesting and scary results. Lets not forget apples and the potato pancake too, as meat, quite ironically, is OFF the hallow menu.

So the history! - Its rather apt that Halloween is actually the eve of the Wester Christain Feast of All Hallows Day. Infact its a three day feast to observe All Hallow tide, toast the dead, Saints (Hallows), martyrs and the faithfully departed. Food will always be one of the best ways to draw anyone in, and Halloween throws us an excuse to feast on the endless array of winter warmers, belly busting bakes and spices which seem to suit the pumpkin family.

Breakfast - those all american pancakes are the best with some added pumpkin spice.

(I roasted off a pumpkin half, which I might advise you is easier said than done. Whilst attempting to slice said pumpkin in half, a true battle of wills and kitchen tools, broomstick bashing & cauldron patting, I realised there is a very real possibility that one can loose a thumb.)

After scooping out the pumpkin and adding some 4 spice, grated ginger and salt, your original pancake mix turns into a nutritious Halloween start for the day. Your muffin mix can be lifted with pumpkin and cranberry too, but my favourite are the pumpkin and cinnamon waffles.

Lunch - Pumpkin Gnocci with chorizo, curried pumpkin soup, pumpkin chilli, rice with toasted pumpkin seeds & finished off with a pumpkin & chilli sorbet.

Dinner - Pumpkin & smoked pancetta risotto, pecan crusted lamb rack with a pumpkin butter & pulled teeth (pomegranate), with a twisted pumpkin pie and pumpkin fudge for desert.

So this weekend will be about scooping out those pumpkins and turning the humble orange squash into a lantern to adorn your Hallow feast. Buckets of pumpkin flesh and hopefully some new ideas of what to do with the sticky mess as an alternative to throwing at unsuspecting home owners that forgot to purchase enough sweets for the long line of witches all waiting to cast thier spell.

A word of warning, too much pumpkin can have some very odd effects on ones appearance and remember ladies, never text and fly.