I Made Pumpkin Curry!

Many Americans forget that pumpkin, while tasty in desserts like pie, it is actually a squash.

Pumpkin a great budget stretcher because you can get a  fresh 10 pound carving (squash) pumpkin for around $1.99 - $4.99 at the grocery store.

Some people claim that the big pumpkins are too tough or too bland to eat. I disagree. The small (pie) pumpkins are sweeter which is nice for pie and desserts. However, the big pumpkins work just as well with the right combination of pumpkin spices.

If you think your pumpkin dishes are too bland, check your pumpkin spices. The spices are what gives pumpkin dishes and desserts their kick of flavor. My favorite pumpkin spice is Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice because it has a hint of black pepper that makes all the difference in the taste of my dishes. I buy at least two bottles of it every Fall and use it year round.

How to Cook a Pumpkin

You know that pumpkin spice latte you love so much in the coffee shop? There’s not a lick of pumpkin in it, it’s all pumpkin spice baby!

Pumpkin brains?

I cut my pumpkin in half. Husband scooped out the seeds and goo.  We put the pumpkin seeds aside to roast in the oven later. We put the goo in the compost bin. Compost bins LOVE pumpkin goo!

I baked the pumpkin on cookie sheets at 350 degrees for one hour. I remove the pumpkin from the oven, let it cool, and scooped the cooked pumpkin rind out of the pumpkin with a spoon.

I froze some of the cooked pumpkin in one cup containers for later baking and cooking. 

I used the rest of my pumpkin to make pumpkin curry. Before you get all weirded out, the pumpkin curry recipe  I used called for curry spices, not pumpkin spices.

Sweet Pumpkin Curry

I served the pumpkin curry over basmati rice and it was delicious!  It was a sweet and mild curry, not a spicy hot curry. Husband declared it a win and the recipe went into my recipe box.

If you like curries, try using pumpkin in the mix!

Have you tried eating pumpkin as a squash?

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