It’s Pumpkin Season

With Halloween comes pumpkins.

I recall, with great fondness, Grams’s pumpkin pie and Aunt Rubye’s pumpkin bars. But after tasting a delicious vegetarian pumpkin curry, whipped up with a ready-made pumpkin sauce, I decided to re-create this rendition—this time with vegetables and chicken—for my dinner party guests.

If tackling the tough rind of a fresh pumpkin is too much work for you, substitute butternut squash instead. This dish is a meal by itself. Serve the curry over rice, then add a tossed green salad. Firm, ripe red Bartlett pears with a pumpkin seed brittle completes the menu.

Pumpkin seeds are delicious as a snack and turning them into a candy “brittle” is an amazing sweet to serve with fruit—or to add to a plate of cookies.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Bon appétit!

Pumpkin Seed Brittle
With Sea Salt(About 50 pieces)1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon water

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1½ cups white sugar

1 cup water

1 cup light corn syrup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound sunflower seeds, shelled, roasted and salted

Several pinches flaked sea saltTo prepare:Preheat oven to 200˚F.

Butter a pair of 15½-inch-by-12-inch jellyroll pans, or cover with parchment paper and butter the paper.

Place in oven to keep warm.

Mix baking soda, water and vanilla in a small bowl.

Add sugar, water and corn syrup to a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.

Cook, stirring occasionally until a candy thermometer reads 240˚F, or until a small amount of the syrup dropped into ice water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water. The cooking time will depend on the humidity in the air.

Carefully stir in the sunflower seeds and butter with a wooden spoon.

Cook, stirring constantly until the candy thermometer reads 300˚F, or until a small amount of the candy dropped into very cold water separates into hard brittle threads. Be careful not to burn the brittle.

Immediately remove pan from heat. Quickly stir in the baking soda mixture, until it becomes light and foamy.

Pour half of the brittle into each of the prepared pans.

Quickly spread out mixture with a spatula, until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Break the brittle into pieces.

Store in clean jar.Pumpkin And Vegetable Curry With Chicken(Serves 6)For the curry paste:

1 cup fresh coconut pulp, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 stalk fresh lemon grass, outer stalk discarded, smashed

Juice of 1 lime

3/4 cup water, to create a wet paste

For the chicken and vegetables:

1 tablespoon canola oil, for sautéing

2 chicken breasts, about 1 pound total, boneless and skinless

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 medium onions, chopped

2 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces

7 large white button mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

3 cups cauliflower florets

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cored, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and cored, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cups raw pumpkin flesh, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 green chili peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, as needed

2 cups water, as needed

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves removedTo prepare:Add coconut pulp, garlic, red pepper flakes, coriander and cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika, pepper and lemon grass into a blender, or a food processor fitted with stainless steel blades.

Process until finely chopped.

Add lime juice and just enough water to create a wet, smooth paste while the machine is running.

Transfer to a bowl and reserve.

Rinse chicken with cold water.

Pat dry with paper towels.

Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Coat the bottom of a large, heavy casserole dish, or skillet with a lid, with oil over moderate-high heat.

Sauté chicken pieces in batches, until they are lightly brown on all sides.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a side plate.

Repeat until all chicken is cooked.

Add oil to the same skillet over moderate-high heat, if necessary.

Sauté the onions, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add carrots, mushrooms, beans, cauliflower, bell peppers and pumpkin.

Sauté, until the vegetables glisten. Add curry paste.

Stir well, coating the vegetables.

Add the browned chicken and green chili peppers.

Add stock and water, until there is enough liquid to come 3/4 up the side of the pan.

Cover.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and chicken are tender and the curry is neither too thick nor too thin, about 30 to 40 minutes.

To serve, spoon curry over steamed rice. Garnish with fresh cilantro.