the big chill

All the signs are pointing to fall. The mornings are downright chilly... the sunlight has that low-in-the-sky autumn look about it....and in the garden, we've picked most of the tomatoes. I confited the last of them, by simply halving them, placing them cut side up on a sheet tray, drizzling them with olive oil, salt, pepper, some minced garlic...and put them in a very slow 250 oven to roast for a few hours. Heaven by themselves, on a piece of crusty bread, or tossed with hot pasta.

But there's a new star in the garden-- the pumpkins! I think they're my husband's most reliable crop, year after year.

I love the way they grow on bright green vines all summer long.... and in the fall, when it's time to harvest, the vines are all dry and withered and the bright orange globes really stand out.

These are jack-o-lantern pumpkins-- but if you buy a Sugar Pie pumpkin (you can find them at grocery stores or the farmer's market) you can roast them and use them instead of canned pumpkin in any recipe. A 3 pound pumpkin will yield about 3 cups of puree. (You can also freeze the puree.) Just cut it in half, scoop out the seeds (save them to roast later!), and brush some oil or butter on the cut edges. Place it cut side down on a sheet tray in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, until it's tender. Cool it, remove the skin, cut it in chunks and process in your food processor until smooth.

Here's a delicious recipe for a pumpkin bread that I love because it's so full of walnuts!

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs, room temp
1/3 cup water
1 ½ cups Sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat loaf pan with melted butter or pan spray and line with parchment that extends 1” beyond edge of both sides of pan. In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt until thoroughly blended. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and water. Add sugar and blend well. Add pumpkin, oil and vanilla and blend well.
Add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until blended and smooth. Add walnuts and stir until distributed. Scrape batter into prepared pan and level top.
Bake for 55-65 minutes, until bread is firm to touch and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Yield: 1 loaf
(From The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet adapted by crc)