Halloween is coming up at the end of this month. You could be a fan of all things spooky, including the decorations, the sweets and the dressing up, or you might just be a fan of creating newer and scarier horror film marathons every year. Whichever way you like spending Halloween, it is likely that you will be carving out a little pumpkin to put on your doorstep for 'All Hallow's Eve'.
Pumpkin carving is a great activity to spend time having fun with family and friends. There's just one problem; what do you do with all that leftover pumpkin? Kitchen Door Workshop has you covered with a full 3-course meal of ideas on what you can make out of your leftover pumpkin supplies.
Today we've got a Soup Recipe and a Salad Recipe for you to try.
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Stock cube (flavour of your choice)
- 115g White onion (half a medium sized white onion)
- 400g Potato (1 large potato), peeled and cut into cubes
- 800g Pumpkin, cubed
- 300g Tinned chestnuts
The Soup - Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup
Ingredients -
You will also need a food blender for this recipe.
To Make -
In a pan, lightly fry your onion half until it is cooked, but make sure to take it off the heat before the onion starts to colour. Next add your potato and pumpkin cubes into a large pot, along with the tinned chestnuts and your seasoning. Crumble in your stock cube and then dice your onion, adding it to the mixture.
Add hot water until all the ingredients are covered and then cook on a high heat until the water has been absorbed by the rest of the mixture. Once the water has been absorbed, take your mixture off the heat and then blend it until smooth.
Taste test your soup, adding extra salt and pepper as you feel necessary and then blend once more. Serve the soup immediately with double cream and a tiny pinch of cinnamon, or freeze it in containers to eat later.
For added flair, you can hollow out a mini pumpkin (making good use of the innards in your soups and salads!) and serve your Pumpkin and Chestnut soup in cute little pumpkin bowls. The wonderfully nutty flavour of the chestnut combined with pumpkin creates a delicious, savoury soup that is bound to warm you up as the weather gets colder towards Halloween.
The Salad - Pumpkin and Mango Salad
Ingredients -
- 1 Pumpkin, cut into large cubes with the seeds kept on
- 1 Large head of Lettuce (around 450g),
- 4 Medium-sized mangoes (around 800g), cut into chunks
- 50g Almonds
- 180g Sliced Fennel
For the Dressing -
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- 4 Tablespoons bottled lime juice (or the juice of two fresh limes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
To Make -
Start by washing and cutting up your lettuce into more manageable, bite-sized pieces. Then preheat your oven to 220C and then place your cut pumpkin onto a baking tray, 'skin side' down. Drizzle with your olive oil and then sprinkle with sea salt. Roast the pumpkin for anywhere between 30-45 minutes – the tips should be a little burnt and crisp and the insides should be nice and soft.
In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, honey, lime juice and salt and pepper to make your dressing. Adjust your seasoning to your taste and then transfer your roasted pumpkin pieces into a separate bowl, pouring half the dressing over the pumpkin. Toss gently to ensure that the pumpkin is well coated.
Toast your almonds in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until golden. In another bowl, toss together your mangoes, sliced fennel and lettuce. Add the other half of your dressing and toss gently once more. Finally serve the salad on plates of your choice, adding the roasted pumpkin pieces and toasted almonds on top. This salad works wonderfully as a Halloween side salad, a starter or as a tasty and filling lunchtime meal.