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1. Ballooning Over The Farm 2. Roasted Pumpkin Soup 3. Spiced Pumpkin and Lamb

Tagine 4. Thai Pumpkin Curry 5. Pumpkin Pancakes 6. Nutritional Benefits & Usage

CSA Week 20 Sep. 24 – Sep. 30, 2012

"Some men see pumpkins as they are and ask why, I dream pumpkins that never

were and ask "Why not"?

- U.S. President John F. Kennedy dreaming about

a 1500 pounder in the oval office one January.

Sugar Pumpkin

This week we are honoring:

CONTENT

Ballooning Over The East Lynn Farm To arrange your ride and enjoy a scenic Blue Ridge views, including your East Lynn Farm, go to http://www.rideair.com

Serves 12 to 14 Ingredients: 4 baking pumpkins (about 2

lb., quartered and seeded) Olive oil as needed Salt and pepper 4 carrots, peeled and thickly

sliced 6 shallots, thickly sliced 2 celery stalks, thickly sliced 4 garlic cloves, minced 3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 Tbs. minced fresh sage 12 cups chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup apple cider, reduced to

2 Tbs. and cooled Directions: 1. Position 1 rack in the upper

third of an oven and 1 rack in the lower third, and preheat to 425°F.

2. Divide the pumpkins among 2

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

For cooking, use small, sweet pumpkin varieties with a thick flesh and a fairly small seed cavity, such as the Sugar Pie, Baby Bear or Cheese pumpkin. Field pumpkins have a fibrous flesh that is not good for cooking. Instead of pumpkin, you can use kabocha squash, which has bright green skin marked with paler green stripes and pale orange flesh.

baking sheets. Drizzle the pumpkins oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkins, cut side down, on the baking sheets. Roast, turning the pumpkins occasionally, until they are tender and beginning to brown, about 45 min; rotate the baking sheets halfway through the roasting time. Let the pumpkins cool, then scoop the flesh into a bowl.

3. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. oil. Add the carrots, shallots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 7 min. Add the garlic, nutmeg and sage and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 min. Add the pumpkin flesh and broth, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.

4. In a bowl, whisk the cream until slightly thickened. Whisk in the reduced apple cider until blended. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and drizzle with the cider cream. Serve immediately.

Ingredients: 2 medium Red Kuri pumpkins or regular pumpkins 3 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup olive oil Kosher salt, to taste 2 tsp. granulated honey 1/4 cup canola oil 1 1/2 lb. ground lamb 3 Tbs. tagine spice 1 Tbs. harissa spice 1 Tbs. Saigon cinnamon 1 Tbs. tomato paste 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 carrot, peeled and cut into

rounds 1/4 inch thick 1 1/2 cups diced Yukon Gold

potatoes (1/2-inch dice) 1 cup diced tomatoes (1/4-

inch dice) 8 dried apricots, chopped 8 dried dates, pitted and chopped 3 cups vegetable broth Steamed rice or couscous for serving Directions: 1. Preheat an oven to 400°F. 2. Cut off the top one-third of each pumpkin; reserve the

tops. Remove and discard the strings and seeds from the pumpkins. Rub the inside of each pumpkin with 1 Tbs. olive oil, and season each with salt and 1 tsp. granulated honey. Wrap the pumpkins separately in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Rub the

flesh side of the pumpkin tops with 1 Tbs. olive oil and season with salt; place, flesh side up, on the baking

sheet. Roast until the flesh is tender, about 15 minutes for the tops and about 1 hour for the whole pumpkins. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil.

3. When the pumpkins are just cool enough to

handle, scoop out 1/2 cup flesh from each one and place in a blender. Add the 1/4 cup olive oil, cover and blend on high until completely smooth. Set the pumpkin puree aside.

4. In a 6-quart deep sauté pan over medium-

high heat, warm the canola oil. Add the lamb and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 8 to 9 minutes. Add the tagine spice, harissa spice and cinnamon and cook, stirring

constantly, for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Add the onion, carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, apricots, dates and broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the carrot and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and gently fold in until combined. Season with salt.

5. Place the pumpkins on a large platter, ladle some of the

lamb mixture into the pumpkins and cover with the tops. Ladle the remaining lamb mixture into a serving dish. Serve immediately with steamed rice or couscous. Serves

Recipe by Chef Michael Voltaggio.

Spiced Pumpkin and Lamb Tagine

Starchy pumpkins hold up well to strong flavors, so they’re perfect in this Thai Pumpkin & Chicken Curry. Red curry paste, fish sauce and coconut milk create a delicious sweet-savory balance.

Thai Pumpkin Curry

Serves 4. Ingredients: 1 small pumpkin, about 1 1/2

lb., halved, seeded, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes

2 shallots, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 Tbs. Thai red curry paste 1 can (13 1/2 fl. oz.)

unsweetened coconut milk 2 Tbs. Asian fish sauce Juice of 1 lime 2 tsp. firmly packed light

brown sugar 3 Tbs. corn or peanut oil 1 lb. boneless, skinless

chicken thighs, cut into bite-size cubes

2 Tbs. slivered fresh basil, preferably Thai basil

Steamed rice for serving

Directions: 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high

heat. Add the pumpkin and boil just until barely tender, about 7 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

2. In a blender, combine the shallots, garlic and curry paste with 2 Tbs. water and process until smooth. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar.

3. In a wok over medium heat warm 2 Tbs. of the oil. Add the chicken and sear until light brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl.

4. Return the pan to medium heat and add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Add the curry base and cook, stirring, for about 10 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and pumpkin, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken is opaque throughout, about 5 minutes more.

5. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl, garnish with the basil and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Baking with Fresh Pumpkin. Smaller is Better! Choose sugar pie pumpkins or other flavorful varieties. Small and sweet, with dark orange-colored flesh, they're perfect for pies, soups, muffins and breads. A medium-sized (4-pound) sugar pumpkin should yield around 1½ cups of mashed pumpkin. This puree can be used in all your recipes calling for canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Serves: 6 Ingredients: 3 cups flour 3/4 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. ginger 3 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 (15 oz) can* Libby's pure pumpkin 3 cups buttermilk 3 eggs Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and brown sugar, combining well.

2. Add pumpkin, buttermilk, and eggs to dry ingredients and

mix gently. {If batter seems stiff, add water until it can be easily spooned onto a griddle.}

3. Heat griddle to medium heat and grease lightly.

4. Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter onto griddle and let cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

5. Let other side cook again until lightly browned.

6. Repeat these steps until all the batter is gone.

7. I like to serve mine with whipped cream and some hot maple syrup. {For my favorite, easy syrup recipe, click here.} I hope you're enjoying this lovely change in seasons!

* N.B. One 15 oz. can equals 1 3/4 cups prepared pumpkin puree

SELECTING When choosing fresh pumpkins for cooking, avoid the large carving varieties, which are thin-walled, stringy and tasteless. The best cooking varieties are small but heavy for their size, about 5 to 7 pounds. Make sure they have at least an inch of stem (the longer the better) and have no blemishes or soft spots. Shape is not important. As a rule of thumb, for each pound of raw, untrimmed pumpkin, you'll get approximately one cup of purée. STORING Store pumpkins up to one month in a cool, dry place such as a spare room or covered porch. The flesh tends to become stringy at temperatures above 60°F. And, if you can spare the space, they may also be refrigerated for up to one month. USING Pumpkins can be diced and steamed as a side vegetable; mixed with fruits, such as apples, pears or rhubarb; used in pot pies, soufflés, salads and soups; combined with grains for delicious casseroles; or made into cakes, breads, muffins, custards and pumpkin pie. BENEFITS It is one of the vegetables which is very low calories; provides just 26 cal per 100 g; but is rich a source of dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins. Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. With 7384 mg per 100 g, it is one of the vegetable in the cucurbitaceae family with highest levels of vitamin-A, providing about 246% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucus membranes. It is also an essential vitamin for vision. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A helps body protect against lung and oral cavity cancers.