Pumpkin pairs equally well with meat, sugar, fruit and spices, according to Lenta.ru, which published seven original recipes and advice on how to choose the right variety for different dishes.
The autumn vegetable is rich in beta carotene, potassium and fiber.
For liquid dishes like soups and purees, Lenta.ru recommended dense, sweet flesh with minimal fibers, naming Butternut, Hokkaido and Konfetka as the best varieties. Medium sized pumpkins with strong skin that holds its shape, such as Acorn, Kroshka and Ulybka, are best for roasting and stuffing. Desserts and baking require sweet, aromatic flesh with minimal juice, like Sugar pumpkin, Muscat de Provence and Honey orange. For frying and stewing, dense, slightly fibrous flesh is needed, with Butternut, Muscat de Provence and Hokkaido listed as top choices. The outlet noted that Butternut is a universal option suitable for all preparation methods.
Spicy pumpkin ginger cream soup with coconut milk
The soup relies on pumpkin for sweetness and coconut milk for a creamy texture.
The recipe calls for 700 to 800 grams of peeled pumpkin, one onion, two to three garlic cloves, two centimeters of ginger root or one teaspoon of ground ginger, 200 to 400 milliliters of coconut milk with at least 17 percent fat, 500 to 600 milliliters of vegetable or chicken broth, and two to four tablespoons of vegetable or ghee oil. Spices include turmeric, curry, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg to taste, with optional chili pepper.
To prepare, peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut it into cubes. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot and fry the onion, garlic and ginger for five minutes until soft. Add the pumpkin cubes and spices, frying for five to 10 minutes. Pour in the hot broth to cover the vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
Remove from heat, cool slightly and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Pour in the coconut milk, mix and warm on low heat for three to five minutes without boiling to prevent the milk from separating. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar or honey if needed. Serve topped with pumpkin seeds and fresh herbs.
Fried gnocchi with pumpkin and spinach
Ingredients include 500 grams of pumpkin, one tablespoon of olive oil, 350 grams of store bought gnocchi, 45 grams of butter, one large minced garlic clove, 80 grams of baby spinach leaves and half a teaspoon of optional finely chopped fresh sage.
Cut the pumpkin into two centimeter cubes, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and soft. Boil the gnocchi in salted water until they float, which usually takes up to two minutes. Save a large mug of the cooking water.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. When foaming, add the gnocchi, increase the heat to maximum and cook for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and sage, shaking the pan for up to 90 seconds until the gnocchi are browned on both sides. Pour in about three quarters of a mug of the pasta water, which will turn into a sauce. Add the baked pumpkin, spinach and remaining pasta water, mixing quickly. Season and serve immediately with grated parmesan.
Ghapama Armenian stuffed pumpkin
Ghapama is an Armenian dish traditionally served on New Year or Christmas. The dish is the subject of the song Hey, Jan Ghapama, which tells the story of a pumpkin farmer who returns home with one pumpkin and finds 100 hungry friends and relatives, prompting him to turn it into ghapama. System of a Down is among the artists who have covered the song.
The recipe requires a large sugar pumpkin weighing 2.5 to three kilograms, 200 grams of long grain white basmati rice, 50 grams each of crushed almonds, walnuts and dried apricots, 85 grams of butter, one medium onion, 45 grams each of dried tart cherries, dried prunes and golden raisins, 60 milliliters of honey, and two teaspoons of finely chopped parsley. Three teaspoons of salt are also needed.
Boil the rice for five to seven minutes, drain in a fine sieve and rinse with cold water until cool. Cut the top off the pumpkin to create an eight to 10 centimeter lid around the stem. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous flesh, and scrape the lid.
Toast the nuts in a large skillet over medium heat for about four minutes until light brown. Wipe the skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until the milk fat separates and browns in four to six minutes, then let it cool slightly. Pour all but two tablespoons of the butter into a bowl. Add the onion and salt to the skillet and cook until soft and browning for eight to 10 minutes.
Transfer the onion to a large bowl and add the rice, almonds, walnuts, cherries, raisins, and halved apricots and prunes. Whisk the honey into the remaining browned butter. Brush the inside of the pumpkin and the bottom of the lid with about one tablespoon of the honey butter mixture, and pour the rest into the rice mixture. Gently mix and place the filling into the pumpkin, leaving about 2.5 centimeters at the top.
Cover with the lid and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until a peeler easily pierces the side and the pumpkin begins to settle, taking one hour and 45 minutes to two hours. Cool for 15 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter. Cut the pumpkin into eight slices from top to bottom without cutting the filling, and let the slices open up. Heap the rice in the center, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Alternative fillings include a savory version where onion is fried in butter and mixed with rice, and a sweet version that omits onion and adds one teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg to the butter. Nut variations can use almonds, walnuts and pine nuts in equal proportions, provided they are pre toasted. Dried fruit options include raisins, dates, prunes, dried cherries, dried apricots and fresh apples.
Pumpkin lasagna with apples and sage
The lasagna features a hearty filling where long baked pumpkin becomes soft and sage adds a spicy flavor.
The ingredients are one large 1.2 kilogram sugar pumpkin, one tablespoon of olive oil, one large egg, 115 grams of cream cheese, six tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of maple syrup, a quarter teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, two apples, a quarter cup of sage leaves, 15 no boil lasagna sheets, two medium garlic cloves, four tablespoons of flour, two cups of whole milk and 330 grams of hard cheese.
Cut the pumpkin into four pieces. Drizzle three pieces with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes until tender. Let cool, then scoop the flesh into a food processor. Add the egg, cream cheese, two tablespoons of butter, maple syrup, cinnamon and half the nutmeg, and blend until smooth.
Dice the remaining pumpkin quarter into 1.5 centimeter cubes. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over high heat, add the diced pumpkin and apples, and cook for about 10 minutes until soft and browned. Season with salt, pepper and sage.
For the white sauce, heat two tablespoons of butter with the garlic in a saucepan over medium heat for one minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for two minutes until it smells nutty. Slowly whisk in the milk, bring to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in two thirds of the grated cheese. Add the remaining nutmeg, salt and pepper.
To assemble, spread one sixth of the sauce in a baking dish and top with three lasagna sheets. Add one fifth of the pumpkin puree, a quarter of the fried pumpkin and apple mixture, and more sauce. Repeat the layers three times, topping the final layer with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until browned. Let rest for five minutes before slicing.
Baked pumpkin with cinnamon and yogurt
This recipe calls for one kilogram of pumpkin, three tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt and pepper. For serving, use half a cup of Greek yogurt thinned with water, the juice of a quarter lemon, one tablespoon of toasted pine nuts, one tablespoon of coriander leaves and one finely chopped chili pepper.
Cut the pumpkin into six to eight slices. Mix the olive oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and coat the pumpkin slices completely. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 to 30 minutes until golden and soft without turning. Drizzle with lemon juice and let stand for five to 10 minutes. Serve topped with the thinned yogurt, pine nuts, coriander and chili.
Baked pumpkin and feta pasta
Lenta.ru described this dish as an autumn version of a viral TikTok feta pasta recipe.
Ingredients are 450 grams of penne pasta, a quarter cup of olive oil, 225 grams of feta cheese, two thinly sliced small shallots, two garlic cloves, four to five sage leaves, a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes, half a teaspoon of black pepper, two thirds of a cup of pumpkin puree, and two cups of reserved pasta water.
Place the feta in an oiled baking dish, season with salt and pepper, and bake at 210 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and sage, ensuring they are coated in oil, and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the sage is crispy. Boil the pasta, reserving two cups of the water.
Mash the baked feta and mix it with the garlic, sage and shallots. Stir in the pumpkin puree and one cup of the pasta water to create a creamy sauce. Add the cooked pasta and gradually mix in more pasta water until the noodles are fully coated, which usually takes another cup. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve.
Pumpkin porridge
The final recipe requires 100 grams of buckwheat, 300 milliliters of water, one tablespoon of raisins, 500 grams of pumpkin, one tablespoon of maple syrup, a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Plant milk is optional. The porridge can be served with maple syrup, crushed pecans, pumpkin seeds or molasses.
Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, season with salt and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 to 40 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and blend it until smooth, draining it in a sieve for 15 to 20 minutes if it is too watery.
Boil the water, add the buckwheat and raisins, and cook for 15 minutes. Two minutes before the buckwheat is done, stir in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices and salt. If the porridge is too thick, add one to two tablespoons of plant milk. Serve topped with nuts, seeds and syrup or molasses.
