Sep 29

Sep 29 In Season: Pumpkin

Photos & Text: Chiara Cigliutti
Recipe: Marc Wieberneit

I don’t know about you, but I love when autumn comes around. Finally, no more sweating, public transport smells way better, no more bloody flies, the sky becomes more blue, the air more crisp, the trees become colourful, Indian summer everywhere, and best of all: pumpkin is back in season.

I patiently observed them on the fields during my cycling tours in late summer as they slowly grew. Now it’s time.

The pumpkin, my friends, is an all-rounder.

It’s defiantly not lacking in the calcium, phosphorous, iron or potassium departments. It’s also packing beta carotene on top of it all. Even more important, it’s super delicious, and since it boasts thousands of varieties, it’s really versatile and can be used for food or decoration.

Who hasn’t been delighted by the bright orange colour of pumpkin soup on a dull day?

Who hasn’t said when they see a Hokkaido: “Awesome, I don’t even need to peel it!”

And the best thing? You can use it to flavour everything!

Cake: check!

Latte Macchiato: check!

Lemonade: check!

Last year in NYC I even found pumpkin M&Ms. And Oreos. I never wanted to go back home.

My point is: whether sweet or savoury, carved or unpeeled, pumpkins will make you happy.

And if not: hey, I have a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream at home, want to bet?!

Directions:

For the beurre blanc, place shallots, white wine, the bay leaf and pepper corns in a small pot and reduce to 75ml. Pour everything through a fine sieve and allow to cool. Lightly reheat, chop the butter into cubes and, having removed the pot from the heat, whisk in the butter bit by bit. The butter sauce must remain warm but cannot boil.

For the gnocchi, peel the potatoes and the pumpkin. Remove 300g of the pumpkin and boil together with potatoes until cooked, strain, and allow the heat of the pot to dry the vegetables. Process everything through a potato ricer. Add parmesan, flour, 50g starch, and the egg yolks, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Knead into a smooth dough. Roll out the dough into long strips with a diameter of 3cm. Slice into 1-2cm thick pieces and lightly dent with a fork. Boil in salt water for 10 minutes. Slice the rest of the pumpkin into thin wedges, brush with olive oil, season with za’atar and sea salt, and roast. Peel the onions, finely slice, and sweat in a little butter. Combine with the pumpkin gnocchi and add sugar, sea salt, and za’atar to taste. Arrange the roasted pumpkin on a plate with the gnocchi. Puree the beurre blanc until foamy and drizzle over the pumpkin. Garnish with wild herbs and serve.

Double Pumpkin (Pumpkin Gnocchi & Roasted Pumpkin) with Beurre Blanc, Za’atar and Wild Herbs.