Whether you are looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve or to fill your pie, Colorado growers have what you are looking for.
When selecting that festive gourd, choose clean, well-shaped pumpkins with no cracks in the rind. Also avoid pumpkins with soft spots or decay.
More than just a beautiful decoration, pumpkins are nutritious. They are fat free, sodium free, a good source of vitamin C and high in vitamin A.
Look for Colorado pumpkins at your local grocery store, farmers’ market or at pumpkin patches across the state.
Each month the Colorado Department of Agriculture features a different commodity to highlight the variety and quality of products grown in the state.
Visit coloradoagriculture.com for a complete list of recipes.
Pumpkin Bisque
From chef Justin Barbour, Colorado Chefs Association, serves 2-6, depending on bowl size.
Ingredients
1 medium “pie” pumpkin (do not use jack-o-lantern pumpkins)
2 tablespoons melted honey
2 tablespoons oil
Pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups mirepoix (1 cup each celery, carrot, onion, diced small)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups cream
2 teaspoons sliced ginger
3 cups cream
1 tablespoon honey
3 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
2 small pie pumpkins for serving (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Remove pulp, seeds and skin from pie pumpkin and cut into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Toss in honey, oil, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place on baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Toss often; it burns easily. Sauté mirepoix and garlic in butter 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil. Remove solids and about 1/2 cup stock to a food processor or blender. Allow to cool slightly. Purée and return to pan. Strain mixture, discard solids and return liquid to pan.
In a separate pan, mix 1 1/2 cups cream and ginger, and reduce by half over medium heat. Add cooked pumpkin to strained stock and purée part of the mixture again. Add cream, sugar, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon. Simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly and being careful to not let it come to a full boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt. For a smoother soup, strain again; for a rustic soup do not.
Cut the top off and gut and wipe out serving pumpkins. Recipe serves 2-3 if using pumpkin bowls or 4-6 if not.
Pumpkin Walnut Muffins
A 1975 menu from The Fort in Morrison reads, “The pumpkin nut muffins are a closely guarded secret; the recipe is asked for nightly but never revealed.” The secret ingredient is not secret at all: It’s the pumpkin! These muffins contain about twice as much pumpkin as other recipes. Because of that, they’re cooked slowly at an unusually low temperature and turn out especially dense, moist and flavorful. Tested at high altitude, from “The Fort Cookbook,” by Samuel P. Arnold, makes about 4 dozen.
Ingredients
5 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups dry powdered milk
4 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped walnut
4 large eggs (size does make a difference)
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water
2 29-ounce cans pumpkin (not pie filling)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease 3-inch muffin tins or line with paper. Mix all ingredients together. The batter should be easily scoopable. If it is too thick, add a little more water. Fill tins 3/4 full and bake 40-45 minutes. Let muffins cool before removing them from the pan. Because they are so moist, these reheat beautifully.
