Three Ways to Cook with Pumpkin, Walnut, and Nutmeg

Edible Feast on Yahoo

By Rachel Jones for Edible Allegheny
Photography by Michael Fornataro / Styling by Samantha Casale

While pumpkins star in our autumn decorations and desserts, the versatile globes can pump up even the most savory dishes. Add the crunch of walnuts and the kick of nutmeg, and you’ve got a meal to really make you fall. We asked three Pittsburgh-area chefs to share some of their creations using the fall trio.

Roasted Pumpkin with Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

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Ingredients
1 medium-sized pumpkin
1 oz honey
1 tablespoon + ¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 pinch nutmeg
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
5-½ cups bread, cubed with crusts removed (chef anthony used ciabatta!)
1 teaspoon caraway
1 teaspoon dried thyme
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup cranberries
2 oz walnuts, chopped

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Preparation
Remove the top of the pumpkin, and set aside. Clean out the inside of the pumpkin.
Rub honey, 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, and nutmeg into the pumpkin’s cavity. Fill with chicken or vegetable stock, and replace the top.
Wrap the pumpkin in foil, and roast at 350ºF for about two hours. A skewer should pierce through the foil and pumpkin with little resistance.
Remove the foil. Pour the liquid into a container, and reserve for later. Allow the pumpkin to rest.
Season the bread cubes with ¼ cup dark brown sugar, caraway, and thyme.
Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Toast bread at 400ºF until golden brown.
In a bowl, toss bread, cranberries, walnuts, and 1-1/3 cups of reserved liquid until all of the liquid is absorbed into the bread.
Lightly pack the pumpkin with the stuffing. Tent the top with foil and wrap tightly. Bake at 350ºF for one hour.
To serve, cut the pumpkin into desired portions or scoop out the stuffing inside.

Recipe by Anthony Falcon of Gaucho Parrilla Argentina.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Bisque with Apple Chutney

Pumpkin Nut Bread

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Ingredients
15 oz pumpkin
1-2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg

More: How to Pick and Prep the Perfect Pumpkin

Grease the bottoms of two loaf pans, sized 8-½ x 4”. Set aside.
Mix the pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in flour, walnuts, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and nutmeg. Pour batter into the pans.
Bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let loaves cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans, and let cool two hours before serving.

Recipe by Sandy Combs, lead baker of Trax Farms.

More: Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Make All Fall

Kabak Tatlisi (Pumpkin Dessert)

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Ingredients
1 medium-sized pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup walnuts, grated
½ cup whole nutmegs, grated

Get the Recipe: Heirloom Pumpkin Soup

Slice pumpkin into one-inch-thick rounds. Remove rind.
Scoop out the pulp and seeds. Cut each slice in half, making a half-moon shape.
Lay the slices in a skillet, and sprinkle a thin layer of sugar on top.
Cover and cook over medium heat until pumpkin starts to get soft. Remove from heat, and refrigerate until serving time.
Right before serving, sprinkle grated walnuts and nutmegs on top.

By Oznur Edem, co-owner of Daphne Café in Shadyside, Pittsburgh.