Pumpkin patter

With smoked salmon, as a kebab, with spaghetti, and even as a dessert preparation, the truly versatile pumpkin can don many delicious roles with ease. Recipes coordinated by Mrinal Shekar

Gaeng Pet Faktong Nue

Method
Combine coconut milk with red curry paste and heat up. Add sliced beef and simmer. Add pumpkin and season with fish sauce and palm sugar. Add chili, kaffir lime leaves and sweet basil and set aside. Serve.

Pumpkin Pikelets with Smoked Salmon and Capsicum Oil
Serves 2

Ingredients
650 gms pumpkin
100 gms finely-diced onion
2 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
10 gms chopped parsley
15 gms flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lollo rosso, green frizze lettuce and rucola lettuce, as desired
100 gms smoked salmon

For yellow capsicum oil:
1 medium capsicum, roasted, deseeded and peeled
200 ml oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Peel pumpkin and grate, place in a strainer and let the moisture drain. Put it in a bowl, add onion, lemon juice, egg, parsley, salt, pepper and flour, mix till well combined. Make six patties out of the dough and cook in a moderately hot pan for two minutes on each side.

To prepare capsicum oil, blend all the ingredients together, cool and strain through a fine strainer.

To serve: Lay one of the pikelets down and layer with various lettuce leaves and smoked salmon. Drizzle oil and serve.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Basil Pesto and Crispy Parmesan Wafers
Serves 2

Ingredients
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 courgette, cut into 5 cm strips
1 tomato, peeled, deseeded and diced
100 gms rucola lettuce
Crispy feta cheese wafers, to serve
1 tbsp chopped parsley

For the gnocchi:
250 gms roasted pumpkin, pureed
4 tbsp fine semolina
4 tbsp plain flour
1 egg yolk
1 egg
1 tsp butter
Salt, pepper and nutmeg, a pinch each
1 tsp butter

Method
To prepare gnocchi: Peel pumpkin, deseed and roast in a moderately hot oven 1800C for 20 minutes or till cooked. Mash. Bring water to boil with a little oil and salt. Mix all the ingredients for gnocchi together till combined.

Put the gnocchi mixture in a piping bag and pipe into a cylindrical shape. Cut into 2 cm pieces. Drop them in boiling water, boil for five minutes, strain and plunge into ice-cold water to stop the gnocchi from cooking further.

In a large frying pan, heat oil. Fry cooked gnocchi till brown. Add onion and garlic and cook till onion is transparent. Add courgette and cook till it softens, add tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve.

To serve: Place rucola leaves on a plate and gnocchi in the centre, drizzle some pesto around the gnocchi, place crispy Parmesan wafers on top and garnish with chopped parsley.

Parcel Of White Pumpkin with Seafood and Sauce

Ingredients
400 gms white pumpkin
200 gms seafood mince
50 gms garlic, chopped
100 gms chopped spring onion
5 gms chopped red chilli
50 gms chopped coriander
2 eggs
30 gms roasted sesame seeds

For the sauce:
30 gms sesame oil
100 gms soy sauce
100 gms julienned ginger
1 tsp cornflour
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 gms chopped red chilli

Method
Slice pumpkin into thin sheets, each about 1/2 inch thick. Cook seafood mince along with garlic, onion, chilli, coriander for 3-4 minutes.

To make the parcel of white pumpkin, blanche pumpkin sheets in boiling water for two minutes. Place two sheets crossing over. Place a spoonful of the seafood mixture at the centre. Close over and seal with egg. Grill or shallow-fry the parcels for 5-6 minutes or until cooked and slightly browned.

To prepare the sauce: pour all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer till the sauce thickens and reaches the desired consistency.

To serve: Arrange the parcels on a plate and spoon the sauce over. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and serve.

Spaghetti with Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients
150 gms spaghetti, cooked
180 gms pumpkin, peeled and deseeded
100 ml whipping cream
20 gms Parmesan cheese
5 gms chopped onion
10 gms butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
30 ml olive oil
Chopped parsley, for garnishing

Method
Roast pumpkin in oven until soft. Peel and blend using little water. Keep aside. Drizzle olive oil over spaghetti and keep aside. Heat butter in a pan, saute onion for 2-3 minutes. Add pumpkin puree and cook for 3-4 minutes on simmer, stirring continuously. Add cream and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and mix gently. Mix in cheese and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Lauki Malai Kabab
Serving 4

Ingredients
500 gms white pumpkin
200 gms large potatoes, boiled and mashed
4 green chillies, chopped
5 gms each, chopped ginger and garlic
2 gms black cumin seeds
5 gms cumin powder
5 gms red chilli powder
8 gms dry mango powder
6