The Best Most Delicious Use of One Small Pumpkin

Come October pumpkins are everywhere you look. Every grocery features a tall stack in their store front; farm markets sometimes push them for only a dollar just after Halloween. This is the time to take advantage of the great prices and make delicious gourmet meals for your friends with this versatile squash.

Here are three of my favorite recipes. All can be made from just one small pumpkin.

Pumpkin Ravioli

2 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup carrots, cooked and pureed
2 onions, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp. ground mace
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 pinch ground cardamom
1 cup butter
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T.s maple syrup
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 pounds fresh pasta sheets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup nuts
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch white pepper
1 pinch salt
1 cup chopped spinach

1. Sauté onions, garlic, and spices in butter or margarine until onions are soft. Stir together with carrots and pumpkin. Add cheese, maple syrup, egg, salt, and black pepper. Adjust seasoning. Set the filling aside.
2. Cook the cream, garlic, cayenne, and white pepper over medium to high heat; stir often, and adjust heat to keep the cream from boiling over. When the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add a pinch salt. Adjust seasoning. Remove sauce from heat.
3. Lay one sheet of Fresh Pasta out on a flat surface. Spray with water to prevent drying, and to make it more flexible. Place half tablespoon.s of filling along the bottom edge of the pasta about 1/2 inch apart. For larger ravioli, use 1 T. of filling, and leave 1 inch between dollops. Fold the pasta sheet over the filling, and cut apart with a ravioli cutter. Set the finished ravioli aside, and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until filling and/or pasta is completely used. (At this point ravioli can be frozen for later use.)
4. Cook the ravioli in salted boiling water. Drain.
5. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Add the spinach; cook just about 30 seconds. Add half the nuts, turn the heat off, and add the cooked ravioli. Stir gently, and serve immediately. Garnish with remaining nuts.

Pumpkin Lasagna

2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 eggplant, sliced to 1/2 inches
5 tomatoes
1 pint ricotta
9 oz. feta
2/3 cup pesto
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
Fresh pasta sheets
1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Fry eggplant turning once, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and roast in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; until tender and wrinkly.
3. Stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
4. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Pumpkin Soup

1 T. vegetable oil
1 T. butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 chopped shallots
2 small fresh chopped red chili peppers,
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
Heavy cream

1. Heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, and chilies, in oil until fragrant (don't overcook garlic). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Cook until pumpkin softens.
2. In a blender, blend the soup until almost smooth. Garnish with heavy cream..