Pumpkin isn't just for pies

Last month, I wrote about how versatile pumpkin is, and I included a handful of recipes, both sweet and savory, from local chefs.

Last week, chef Kevin Fisher proved my point again at a holiday cooking class.

"Pumpkin is not just for pies," said Fisher, the chef and a co-owner of The Screaming Rooster restaurant on Brookstown Avenue. "Pumpkin is a meat substitute. Pumpkin is good in salads. You can do lots of things with pumpkin."

Fisher used pumpkin in all three courses of a dinner menu he demonstrated Thursday night for a sold-out crowd of about 20 people at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service building on Fairchild Road. People paid $20 to attend the class, and they got to eat a meal at the end.

The class was sponsored by Cultivate Piedmont, a program of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. Cultivate Piedmont runs the Cobblestone Farmers Market downtown, which just shut down for the season. Adrienne Outcalt, the program manager, organized the class as a way to promote local farmers and the chefs who support them.

Fisher's menu included a salad, pork stew and a sweet custard. Even though this is far from peak season for local produce, Fisher was able to use a lot of local food. The pumpkin came from Shore Farms Organics in Yadkinville. Salad greens and turnips came from J&S Farm in Davidson County. Maple View Farm in Hillsboro provided heavy cream. Homeland Creamery in Julian provided buttermilk. Fisher got freshly ground cornmeal from Milk and Honey Farm in Yadkinville, and fresh garlic from Harmony Ridge Farm in Tobaccoville.

Outcalt mentioned that though the market is closed, some farmers show up on the porch at Krankies Coffee on Third Street every Tuesday to sell what's available.

Though the growing season for pumpkins has ended, Fisher said they keep well, sometimes for months, because of their hard shells. And he often cooks a large pumpkin, removes the seeds and stringy parts, and freezes the peeled flesh to use all winter. "You'll never buy canned pumpkin again," he said.

For all of these recipes, people also can use fresh butternut squash, which is widely available in grocery stores at this time of year.

For the salad, Fisher used both pumpkin flesh, which he roasted, and pumpkin seeds, which he spiced. "It's just like spiced pecans or spiced walnuts for the holidays," he said.

The mixed greens were tossed with a sherry vinaigrette, and served with the seeds and roasted pumpkin. For a garnish, Fisher made polenta, or grits, from coarsely ground cornmeal, then chilled it, cut pieces into sticks and then pan-fried them until they became crisp.

The entire salad became a study in contrasts. Fresh, soft greens contrasted with starchy, crisp polenta and crunchy seeds.

The sugary coating on the seeds, too, contrasted with the tang of the vinaigrette.

The main course was a pork stew with pumpkin and other vegetables. "This would be great to serve at a tree trimming," Fisher said. He originally started cooking it years ago for Halloween parties.

Though he makes it with pork shoulder, he said it would be equally good with turkey, beef or lamb. It even would be fairly hearty as a vegetarian stew, perhaps with a little extra pumpkin in place of the meat.

In addition to the pumpkin, Fisher added onions, tomatoes, turnips and turnip greens. He also showed how rutabagas could substitute for the turnips.

"This is a rustic stew. It's very simple," he said. "You can just put it on the back of the stove to cook slowly."

The final course was a twist on an Italian milk pudding. Basic panna cotta is sweetened milk, flavored with vanilla and thickened with gelatin. Fisher's twist is to add pumpkin puree as well as some nutmeg to give it a holiday flavor. He also used buttermilk instead of regular milk, and topped it with a quick and easy caramel sauce.

"This is just a milk pudding, but it makes a very elegant dessert," he said. "Adding the pumpkin just takes it to the next level. Moravian cookies also would go well with this."

Straining the mixture helps give it a velvety, smooth texture. The overall effect is nice and light, the perfect ending to a big holiday meal.

Fisher was happy to promote local food during the cooking class. He regularly buys from these farmers and serves their food at The Screaming Rooster, which he calls a "farm-to-table" restaurant. "If the farmer brings it to me, I will cook it," Fisher said. "I'm not a preacher about this, but I do what I can do. I'm probably 80 to 90 percent local on a good day."

Outcalt hopes to have more cooking classes that bring together local chefs and local food. "This was really a pilot class for chefs cooking from local farms," she said. "There seems to be a lot of interest, so I will be doing more of them."

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Crisp Polenta and Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

1½ cups white coarse cornmeal (not hominy grits)

7½ cups water

1¾ teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons seven-spice blend, optional (See Note)

¼ teaspoon cayenne

½ cup raw green pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon fresh pomegranate juice

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon minced red onion

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 small cheese pumpkin or butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled, quartered lengthwise and seeded

1 6-ounce piece Parmigiano-Reggiano

8 ounces mixed salad greens

1. To prepare the polenta, bring cornmeal, water and 1¼ teaspoons salt to a boil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until polenta is creamy and tender, about 50 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in 3 tablespoons butter and cool slightly.

2. Spoon polenta onto center of a lightly buttered large baking sheet, then spread evenly into a 10-by-7-inch rectangle (about ½ inch thick). Cover with plastic wrap, then poke several holes in the wrap with a small sharp knife and chill 2 hours.

3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Stir in sugar, seven-spice blend, cayenne and ¼ teaspoon salt, then cook, without stirring, until caramelized. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring occasionally until seeds are puffed and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool. When seeds have hardened, break up any clumps with your fingers. Set aside.

4. Whisk together pomegranate juice, vinegar and onion and let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in 3 tablespoons oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

5. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut pumpkin quarters crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Toss with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste in a shallow baking pan and arrange slices in one layer. Roast in middle of oven until just tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, then cover with foil to keep warm.

6. Meanwhile, trim polenta into a 9-by-6-inch rectangle. Cut polenta into 6 (3-inch) squares, then halve each square diagonally. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet until hot but not smoking, then cook polenta in two batches, turning once until golden brown, about 8 minutes. (If necessary, use remaining tablespoon oil for second batch.) Transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered.

7. To assemble the salad, first shave 12 strips from cheese with a vegetable peeler. Whisk vinaigrette, then toss arugula in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Place several pieces of pumpkin and 1 piece of polenta on each of 6 plates. Top with arugula, more pumpkin and remaining polenta. Sprinkle with spiced pumpkin seeds and top with parmesan shavings, then drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.

Note: The seven-spice blend, sometimes called Lebanese seven-spice rub, is available at Mediterranean stores, such as Mediterrasia on Trendwest Drive. It typically is a blend of ground allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, fenugreek and ginger.

Pork and Pumpkin Stew

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1½-inch pieces

¼ cup vegetable oil, or 2 tablespoons oil plus 2 tablespoons butter

2 onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 14- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, including the juices

1½ cups water

1 pound turnips or rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cups chopped washed turnip greens or kale

1 2-pound pumpkin (preferably a sugar pumpkin), seeded, reserving the seeds for toasting if desired, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Steamed rice, optional

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat the pork dry. In a heavy kettle, heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add no more than half the pork, being careful not to crowd the pan. Brown the pork, then transfer it with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Repeat with additional batches until all of the pork is browned. Add the onions to the kettle, cook them, stirring occasionally until they are golden and stir in the garlic. Add the tomatoes with their juices, breaking them up. Add the water and the pork with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Bring to a boil, then cook, covered, in middle of oven for 1 hour (or slowly simmer on stovetop).

2. Stir in the turnips and cook covered for 20 more minutes. Stir in the greens and the pumpkin and cook, covered for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Season the stew with salt and pepper and serve it with the rice if desired.

Recipe from Gourmet magazine, 1991

Buttermilk Pumpkin Panna Cotta

with Cinnamon-Caramel Sauce

1½ tablespoons water

2 (scant) teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided

½ cup pumpkin puree

½ cup sugar

Pinch nutmeg, optional

1½ cups low-fat buttermilk

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon (generous) ground cinnamon

1. Pour the water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

2. Combine ¾ cup cream, the pumpkin puree and the sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. Add nutmeg if desired. Remove from heat. Add gelatin; stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool until warm, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in buttermilk and 1½ teaspoons of the vanilla. Strain mixture and divide among six ½-cup ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

4. Combine brown sugar and remaining ¼ cup cream in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and caramel sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.

5. Spoon slightly warm caramel sauce over each panna cotta and serve.