Orange Season: Let Us Cook a Pumpkin
Everyone remembers pumpkin juice from a famous novel series of the English author about the young wizard Harry Potter. Pumpkin juice has probably become a new favorite beverage of the entire generation of boys and girls dreaming of becoming wizards, and also adults who have returned into childhood for a quick moment. What concerns Halloween festivities with pumpkin heads, they are only a small manifestation of an entire culture devoted to this gourd. Pumpkin has been a special product in the USA for long years and has become a symbol of health, wealth and autumn generosity. Fully pumpkin-themed banquets have become commonly spread.
In Europe pumpkin is also merited as one of the most popular products. Pumpkin recipes can be very unusual: European pumpkin soups, baked pumpkin puddings, mashes and salads are indispensable elements of healthy cuisine. Armenia is known for numerous receipts of baked pumpkin, it is added to pilaf, stuffed with rice, Cornelian cherries and nuts. The Austrians have learned to make pumpkin schnapps and – fancy that – coffee!
Whatever the size of pumpkin, recipes for it may surprise even an experienced cook. Little pumpkins can be used in salads, and large ones do well in eatable adorned houses, filled with different delicacies. One of the most popular dishes in the former Soviet Republics is pumpkin cereal which is loved by many for its delicate and light taste. In this dish pumpkin mash will do with any cereal, but rice fits the best.
Pumpkin dumplings are a tasty and healthy dessert for children. They are cooked from pumpkin mash with flour and cheese. Mix the ingredients smooth and form dumplings, and then simply put them in boiling water for a while. Be careful not to boil them over because pumpkin fibers are very soft and may fall into pieces. Pumpkin dumplings may be served as a course with sauces or as a side dish for meat.
If you are looking for new tastes, dishes made of pumpkin, recipes of which were gathered for centuries and still remain popular, will make a great variety in your cooking performance. The most unexpected solutions in this “orange” cuisine would imply pumpkin desserts: jams, sauces, dressings and even ice cream! Having cooked a pumpkin dish, do not throw the seeds away, for they may create a perfect touch for a salad, look nice as a cake decoration or excite as an ingredient for cookies.
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