Pumpkin time

Despite the fact that Halloween has passed, the pumpkin season is still rocking. And many of us love that fruit not only for its capacity to hold candles but also for its sweetness and flavor. Usually, there are plenty of recipes on the internet, but sometimes it feels like there are just a couple: one for soup and another one for pumpkin pie.

But that’s so unfair, pumpkins can be much-much more than these two dishes. And here’s a short list of other things you definitely need to try.

1. Ok, we lied. We love soups too, but there are ordinary soups that deserve our scornful remarks. If you are really into that, go ahead and cook what you love, but why not try to be inventive sometimes. Go ahead and mix a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter for every liter / four cups of soup. And this is gonna be fantastic.
2. You can go even further (to Japan) and cook pumpkin miso soup. Just blend some miso paste with pumpkin puree and water it with boiling stock. Cooking is easy – all you need to do is to mix things up!
3. Tired of soups? Then just steam a pumpkin, scoop all of its flesh and blend it into a silky smooth golden puree that you can easily add into your morning oatmeal and evening spaghetti, use it as a feeling for your pierogi and dim sums, add to pastry and spread on toast.
   But most importantly, make sure you mix it with some melted butter with a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and sugar. This dish will melt the coldest hearts.
4. Want something sweet? Just sprinkle some sugar on pumpkin pieces, let them stand for 20 minutes, bake on a pan lined with parchment paper, drizzle with melted butter (in which you previously fried walnuts; also don’t forget to put them on top). This dish is from Turkey and it’s called kabak tatlisi.
5. Finally lacto-fermented pumpkin. Cut it into chunks and cover with 2-3% salt brine (add 2-3 grams of salt for every 100 ml of water). Add 8 cardamom seeds for every liter / 2 cups and leave this concoction covered with tablecloth at room temperature for a couple of weeks. Check periodically for molds. And then enjoy!