Five comforting pumpkin recipes for autumn and Halloween

This Halloween, 14.5 million pumpkins are predicted to be left uneaten after the spooky celebrations draw to a close. That is almost half of those expected to be bought - with both the insides and skin unnecessarily wasted.

Pumpkin is a classic autumnal flavour that can make for some comforting snacks and meals. A true symbol of the season, meal kit service Gousto is encouraging carvers to help the pumpkins fulfil their true destiny…dinner.

This series of tasty seasonal recipes should make ditching the leftovers a thing of the past.

Halloween-inspired pumpkin pecan risotto with crispy sage

Ingredients:

• 35g grated Italian hard cheese

• 1 whole pumpkin

• 1 Chinese rice wine sachet (30ml)

• 35g Italian hard cheese

• 1 brown onion

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 bag of pecan nuts (25g)

• 11g veg stock mix

• 160g arborio rice

• 10g sage

• 1 soft cheese pot (50g)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ 425°F/ Gas 7. Peel the pumpkin and cut in half using a sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Slice one half into half-moons and chop the remaining half into small cubes.

2. Add the half-moons to one side of a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the cubes to a sheet of tin foil with 1 tbsp cold water and scrunch it up to form a sealed parcel. Put the tray in the oven for an initial 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is almost cooked through and beginning to turn golden.

3. Whilst the pumpkin is roasting, boil a kettle. Peel and finely chop the brown onion. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.

4. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic. Dissolve the veg stock mix in 600ml boiled water. Once softened, add the arborio rice to the onion with the chopped garlic and Chinese rice wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring continuously, for 25-30 minutes or until all of the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked.

5. Whilst the rice is cooking, peel the Italian hard cheese with a peeler until you end up with a pile of cheese shavings. Heat a separate, large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sage leaves and cook for 1 minute or until crispy, then transfer to kitchen paper and set aside.

6. Once the pumpkin has had 20 minutes, add the pecans to the tray and return to the oven for 5 minutes further (or until toasted). Once done, remove the roasted pumpkin cubes from the tin foil parcel and mash them up with a fork to form a pumpkin purée.

7. Once the rice is almost cooked, stir the pumpkin purée and soft cheese through the risotto. Add the grated Italian hard cheese with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the rice is cooked – this is your pumpkin risotto. Serve topped with the cheese shavings, roasted pumpkin, crispy sage leaves and toasted pecans. Season with a good grind of black pepper.

Pumpkin soup

Few things are as warming and comforting as a pumpkin soup (Gousto)

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 3 cups of pumpkin/vegetable/chicken stock

• 500g pumpkin puree

• A large knob of butter

• 1 chopped onion

• 2 chopped carrots

• 1 finely chopped garlic clove

• 1 cup of cream

• ½ tsp chopped thyme, salt and pepper

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the garlic, onion, carrots, thyme and a pinch of salt and cook for 5-8 minutes or until softened.

2. When cooked, transfer to a food processor and blitz together with the pumpkin puree until smooth, then return to the saucepan, add in the stock.

3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Reduce the heat to very low and add the cream and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste and serve.

Pumpkin skin crisps

Ingredients:

• A whole roasted pumpkin

• Vegetable oil

• 1 tbsp paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• Sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C. Halve the roasted pumpkin and scrape the flesh off the skin, leaving two large, thin sheets of pumpkin skin.

2. Chop these into large crisp sized pieces, then add them to a bowl with a glug of vegetable oil, the paprika, garlic powder and sea salt and give everything a good mix.

3. Spread the seasoned pumpkin skin pieces in a single layer on a large baking tray and leave in the oven overnight to dehydrate and roast. Serve when crispy, with hummus or a similar dip.

Pumpkin punch

Pumpkin punch makes for a great Halloween accompaniment (Gousto)

Ingredients:

• 750ml spiced rum

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1 cup lemon juice

• ¼ tsp grated ginger

• ¼ tsp allspice

• 1tbsp honey

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree/grated pumpkin mashed

• 2 1/2 cups sparkling water

• Cinnamon sticks for garnish

• Ice

• Large pumpkin or punchbowl

Method:

1. Combine the grated pumpkin, orange juice, lemon juice, spiced rum, sparkling water, grated ginger, honey and allspice in a large bowl.

2. Stir the mixture thoroughly until fully combined.

3. Tip the punch into a sieve over a large jug, then once it has all been poured through, work the pumpkin pulp that has collected through the sieve by pressing against it repeatedly with a wooden spoon.

4. Add ice to your punch, and serve in glasses with cinnamon sticks for garnish.

Pumpkin cupcakes

Ingredients (for 12 pumpkin cupcakes):

• 160g all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 250g grated pumpkin

• 100g cup sugar

• 60g cup brown sugar, packed

• 100ml cup vegetable oil

• 2 large eggs

For the buttercream icing:

• 1 cup of butter

• 3 cups icing sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk

Method (for the base):

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 170°C (fan)/ 375°F/ Gas 5. Line a 12 cup standard cupcake tray with cupcake baking cups and set aside.

2. Combine the flour, allspice, baking powder, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.

3. Whisk together the grated pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil and eggs in another bowl.

4. Pour the whisked mixture over the dry ingredients and stir using a spatula, until fully mixed.

5. Dollop a spoonful of batter evenly into each baking cup in the cupcake tray until the batter runs out. Place the tray into the hot oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.

For the buttermilk icing:

1. Add the butter to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and peaky.

2. Sieve the icing sugar to remove any lumps, then add a little at a time to the butter while whisking continually, until all the icing sugar has been added. If the mixture begins to become too thick, add the milk a teaspoon at a time to loosen it up until the desired texture has been reached.

3. Add scoops of buttercream to the top of each pumpkin cupcake (you can smooth the tops with a spatula if desired).