# October Challenge: Savory Pumpkins and Winter Squash



## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

or *We Don't Need No Stinking Pumpkin Spice!*

Take your family/friends/cats/army to the grocery store and bring me pumpkins and winter squash! Do what you like with the flesh or seeds. Bonus points for spooky photos and fun; I want those most of all. Now cook! Cook!

*The Rules*

The challenge begins on the 1st of every month. The last entry must be made by the last day of the month.
You may post multiple entries.
All entries must be cooked during the month of the challenge.
If you use a documented recipe, please cite your source.
Entries should include the name of your dish and a picture of the final product. Sharing personal recipes and pictures of the process are not mandatory but extremely helpful.
The winner is chosen by the person who posted the challenge, and is announced after the last day of submissions. The decision is final and falls entirely at the discretion of the challenger.
Submitting an entry makes you eligible to win. If you do not wish to be considered for the win you may still participate in the challenge, but make your wishes known to the challenger.
The winner's bounty includes praise, virtual high-fives, and the responsibility of posting the next month's challenge. That entails choosing a theme, posting a Challenge thread that includes the guidelines, checking in on the submissions regularly during the month, and promptly choosing a winner at the end of the challenge.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

So off we go 
I'll have to see what's available as we are fast approaching summer.
Although you wouldn't say so today. Cold and grey here


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

Very seasonal for the UK - spooky you want...? Hmm...I'll have to think about that.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Nice idea for a challenge!

@morning glory - I forgot y'all don't celebrate Halloween, but you do have Guy Fawkes Day which is always fun.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

What timing. Just yesterday I was checking out the squash at the market, thinking stuffed squash, butternut soup and such. I think I have an idea for something that will show some Halloween spirit.

mjb.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I can’t understand what people have against pumpkin spice. Social media is filled with memes making fun of white girls in yoga pants and cozy sweaters frolicking in the fallen leaves whilst sipping their pumpkin spice lattes. What’s so dumb about that? I just love love love pumpkin spice and I can’t get enough of it. Humpf


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

koukouvagia said:


> I can't understand what people have against pumpkin spice. Social media is filled with memes making fun of white girls in yoga pants and cozy sweaters frolicking in the fallen leaves whilst sipping their pumpkin spice lattes. What's so dumb about that? I just love love love pumpkin spice and I can't get enough of it. Humpf


Don't think too hard. "white girls in yoga pants and cozy sweaters frolicking in the fallen leaves whilst sipping their pumpkin spice lattes." That's all there is to it! Whether it's "dumb" or not is another question.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

have always been a fan of the plain and simple, so my entry to kick off the challenge is nothing more than butter, and real maple syrup, salt and pepper. Roasted at 425 for an hour and baster every 10 minutes...











































I


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

koukouvagia said:


> I can't understand what people have against pumpkin spice. Social media is filled with memes making fun of white girls in yoga pants and cozy sweaters frolicking in the fallen leaves whilst sipping their pumpkin spice lattes. What's so dumb about that? I just love love love pumpkin spice and I can't get enough of it. Humpf


As I type this, I'm eating pumpkin bread (with plenty of spice, go Trader Joes!), so I'm all for pumpkins and spice (and cozy sweaters). I just wanted it to be challenging. Plenty of sweet recipes out there already.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

rittenremedy said:


> As I type this, I'm eating pumpkin bread (with plenty of spice, go Trader Joes!), so I'm all for pumpkins and spice (and cozy sweaters). I just wanted it to be challenging. Plenty of sweet recipes out there already.


Do you mean not to encourage sweet recipes? Or is that a hint that if we make pumpkin pie we won't be in the running to win


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

mike9 said:


> Nice idea for a challenge!
> 
> @morning glory - I forgot y'all don't celebrate Halloween, but you do have Guy Fawkes Day which is always fun.


Yeah we do Halloween too. More so than we used to when I was a kid. We get the trick or treaters and some decorate their houses. I'm going for spooky!


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I prefer the whole Guy Fawkes day thing - huge bonfire, the whole 9 yards. We used to do it back when, but when we (all my Brit and Irish friends) went separate ways . . . you get the picture. The only thing I like about Halloween anymore is the parade down Rt 66 from town hall to the fire house. The kids love it and the road is closed. There is cider and whatever at the firehouse and prizes for best costumes according to age. It's a small, rural town and we love living here.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Oh crap I got off track - LOL I need to dust off my Latino recipes - I have a nice fusion in mind being autumn and all.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Ahhh, no pumpkin in the shops 
No butternut, no gem squash....


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

butzy said:


> Ahhh, no pumpkin in the shops
> No butternut, no gem squash....


Do you have any summer squashes available? I'm sure some leeway can be given here considering you are in a different hemisphere!!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

mike9 said:


> I prefer the whole Guy Fawkes day thing - huge bonfire, the whole 9 yards. We used to do it back when, but when we (all my Brit and Irish friends) went separate ways . . . you get the picture. The only thing I like about Halloween anymore is the parade down Rt 66 from town hall to the fire house. The kids love it and the road is closed. There is cider and whatever at the firehouse and prizes for best costumes according to age. It's a small, rural town and we love living here.


That sounds so lovely. Halloween is my favorite holiday.


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

koukouvagia said:


> Do you mean not to encourage sweet recipes? Or is that a hint that if we make pumpkin pie we won't be in the running to win


I mean, I'll never say no to a good pumpkin pie recipe. But it might be like playing on hard mode. If you've got a creative pumpkin pie, please share!



mike9 said:


> Oh crap I got off track - LOL I need to dust off my Latino recipes - I have a nice fusion in mind being autumn and all.


yes Yes YES



butzy said:


> Ahhh, no pumpkin in the shops
> No butternut, no gem squash....


NO NO NO

I'm a fan of seasonality. If you're in the southern hemisphere or maybe a tropical region that doesn't do winter squash, a more seasonably appropriate squash is fine.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

butzy said:


> Ahhh, no pumpkin in the shops
> No butternut, no gem squash....


Do we need to crowdfund a relief package?


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

I'll keep looking. I'm sure there should be butternut around somewhere!


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Frozen food section? Asian market? My local Aldi sells canned unseasoned pumpkin.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Asian market? In the African bush?
Anyway, I found some butternut, so I can play


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

It includes pumpkin only sideways via the seeds so may not count. I made a salad based on an idea from _Mourad: New Morrocan_ in the dance of seven salads chapter.

It's a salad of beets, avocado and pumpkin seeds. It caught my eye because those are three of my daughters favorite ingredients. The original dish is more involved and I wanted to simplify the idea. If it is ruled to count I'll take a picture as I have extra ingredients still. This is the source idea. I went simpler and not sweet.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

butzy said:


> Asian market? In the African bush?


Being an "owner/operator" I assumed you must have resources . . . my bad if you don't.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Sorry Mike, I was just pulling your leg!
I have found butternut.

We just have to deal with a very irregular supply of a lot of things, but it is better than in a lot of places on this continent. And since everyone knows this, it's not a train smash if we would run out. Hardly ever happens as I look quite well after our stock, but it happens at times.
And we can get Asian foods, but a limited assortment, and only in the Capital. And basically Chinese. Luckily for me, there is an Oriental shop with Thai products. Some of which will be used in this challenge.
One good thing about limited resources: You learn all the substitutes, and have to learn to make some things (like pastes, spice mixtures etc) by yourself...


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## Hank (Sep 8, 2015)

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

I halved a small spaghetti squash, seasoned it with salt and pepper and brushed the interior with olive oil. I then roasted it until very soft and scooped out the flesh except 1/4" around the perimeter. I mixed the flesh with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic powder. and formed it around the shell leaving the center hollow. I then filled the hollow with Mrs. Hank's homemade Italian sausage and the sauce it was cooked in. Finally I topped with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and baked until hot, finishing under the broiler.


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## fatcook (Apr 25, 2017)

That looks delicious, Hank!


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

Just made this today for a lunch special. Maple Bourbon Butternut Pulled Pork with Apple Jicama Slaw on a pretzel roll.


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

Don't know if this counts. Made this last week. Butternut squash is not the star, but it is in there.

Cider Brined Pork Tenderloin with Maple Dijon Crust and Apple Jus Lie, served on a bed of Farro Pilaf with Roasted Butternut Squash, Beets, Zante Currants, and Kale.


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

phatch said:


> It includes pumpkin only sideways via the seeds so may not count. I made a salad based on an idea from _Mourad: New Morrocan_ in the dance of seven salads chapter.
> 
> It's a salad of beets, avocado and pumpkin seeds. It caught my eye because those are three of my daughters favorite ingredients. The original dish is more involved and I wanted to simplify the idea. If it is ruled to count I'll take a picture as I have extra ingredients still. This is the source idea. I went simpler and not sweet.
> 
> View attachment 66907


I intentionally included seeds in the (admittedly unclear) instructions. You're good!



hank said:


> View attachment 66911
> 
> 
> Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
> ...


Oh boy, I don't like spaghetti squash, but I will try this this week!



ChefBryan said:


> Just made this today for a lunch special. Maple Bourbon Butternut Pulled Pork with Apple Jicama Slaw on a pretzel roll.
> View attachment 66916





ChefBryan said:


> View attachment 66917
> Don't know if this counts. Made this last week. Butternut squash is not the star, but it is in there.
> 
> Cider Brined Pork Tenderloin with Maple Dijon Crust and Apple Jus Lie, served on a bed of Farro Pilaf with Roasted Butternut Squash, Beets, Zante Currants, and Kale.


Ahem...

WHAT. MAPLE BOURBON BUTTERNUT PULLED PORK.

Pack it up, folks, let's go to @ChefBryan's house.

JK the challenge is still on. Is this an entry or just for fun? Either or both is fine, and I respect your cheffy secrets, but we need a general recipe for that pulled pork. (I need it in my belly)


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

rittenremedy said:


> I intentionally included seeds in the (admittedly unclear) instructions. You're good!
> 
> Oh boy, I don't like spaghetti squash, but I will try this this week!
> 
> ...


idk. could be either. I don't really care much about winning the challenge so I guess lets just call it for fun. That being said, I still don't have an issue sharing the recipe, or at least the basic premise. I am usually very diligent about documenting my specials, but for this one I was behind the 8 ball with everything I had going on, so I didn't write down any amounts for any ingredients. I can tell you this:

I started with 70 lbs of bone in pork butts. I scored them diagonally in two directions all the way around, and then rubbed them with a mix of cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, couple packets of brown sugar bourbon marinade mix from McCormick, lawrys, and brown sugar. I wrapped them all individually and let them dry brine for about 36 hours. Put 2 butts in a 4 in deep pan for a total of 4 pans, double wrapped with plastic and foil, popped them in the oven at 325 for about 30 min before transferring them to my alto shaam to finish at 300 for about 6 or 8 hours. 
While they were cooking I took 30# of butternut squash that I got from a local organic farm, split and seeded them, scored the inside, rubbed with oil, brown sugar, and kosher salt, and roasted at 375 for probably about 30 - 45 min. Chilled them, scooped them out, and cooked them down with 1 bottle of jim beam maple bourbon, a pint of maple syrup, soy sauce, roasted veg base, and maybe a little brown sugar and maple extract. Hit it with the stick blender and then when the pork was ready I hit it with the potato masher to break it up, poured the sauce over, and cooked at at 375 for about an hour, uncovered, to reduce and caramelize the sauce.

slaw was easy, shredded jicama, granny smith apples, red and green cabbage. made an apple cider gastrique, drizzled it into some mayo, and let it set with the veg over night. It was a bit too sweet for my liking, didn't really cut the richness of the pork, so in the morning I drained it and just hit it with straight apple cider vinegar. came out great, nice bite to offset the pork.


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

rittenremedy said:


> I intentionally included seeds in the (admittedly unclear) instructions. You're good!
> 
> Oh boy, I don't like spaghetti squash, but I will try this this week!
> 
> ...


Pork tenderloin was as follows. Made a basic brine, but with apple juice instead of water. garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and some thyme. 1/4c kosher salt and brown sugar per qt of liquid. brined overnight, drained and dried. mixed up some Dijon mustard with mayo, maple syrup, and brown sugar. rubbed it on the tenderloin, roasted at 350 I believe. Half way through I re-glazed. took about 30 min to reach 145.

For the pilaf I peeled, diced and roasted butternut squash from the same local farm. roasted, peeled, and diced beets. julliened and blanched some kale. Toasted the farro, then cooked it like pasta in some roasted veg broth. chilled it all, mixed along with the currants, and reheated in the steamer for service.

Apple jus lie, I cheated, used some apple juice concentrate with chicken stock, hit it with a touch of cornstarch, season and serve.


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

I will be making a spinach salad with a pumpkin spice vinaigrette, granny smith apples, dried cranberries, smoked gouda, and candied pepitas on Monday.


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

I will definitely try to get more pics of my breakfast special for Thursday as well. I'm going to make some cinnamon swirl challah, dip it in pumpkin custard, and make a stuffed French toast with Cinnamon whip cream and a blackberry cassis caramel...


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

My family nixed this experiment.

https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/cooked/pumpkin-sausage
Perhaps someone else will try it out.


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## mannlicher (Jan 8, 2006)

Seminole Pumpkins were in use by Native Americans when the Spanish first showed up. My son grows them here in North Florida. I came up with a soup recipe that used them. I don't seem to be able to post a picture of the pumpkin or soup, as Imgur apparently has become agitated with me for not upgrading or something.


> *Pumpkin Soup
> Cream of Seminole Pumpkin Soup
> *​One medium Seminole Pumpkin
> Three leeks, the white parts only
> ...


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

phatch said:


> My family nixed this experiment.
> 
> https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/cooked/pumpkin-sausage
> Perhaps someone else will try it out.


The first dish I had planned uses sausage, maybe I'll give this a try. Or just do pumpkin sausage as a standalone entry. Will try a test batch in the next day or two.

mjb.


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

ChefBryan said:


> I will be making a spinach salad with a pumpkin spice vinaigrette, granny smith apples, dried cranberries, smoked gouda, and candied pepitas on Monday.


Ain't no pumpkin in pumpkin spice! (Jk sounds delicious and pepitas are good) Do you have any trouble getting the spice to stay in the dressing?



phatch said:


> My family nixed this experiment.
> 
> https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes/cooked/pumpkin-sausage
> Perhaps someone else will try it out.


Interesting find. Thanks for sharing anyway!


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

rittenremedy said:


> Ain't no pumpkin in pumpkin spice! (Jk sounds delicious and pepitas are good) Do you have any trouble getting the spice to stay in the dressing?
> 
> Interesting find. Thanks for sharing anyway!


Lol. There was pumpkin in my pumpkin spice. I roasted and pureed a pie pumpkin with 5 spice, oil, vinegar, water, brown sugar, and some of the leftover ginger spice simple syrup I had from my poached pears. The dressing was thick enough that there were no issues holding the spice in suspension.

I used the same simple syrup for the pepitas. reduced it, hit it with coconut milk, added the pepitas, and agitated it quite a bit to get the sugar to crystalize. finished them in the oven at around 275, stirring several times, for about 15 min to finish the process.


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)




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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

Cinnamon Twist Challah French toast stuffed with Pumpkin Spice Mascarpone Mousse and finished with Blackberry Cassis Caramel. Added some Belgian pearl sugar to the filling, because why not? Who doesn't like little crunchy bits of sugary goodness?


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## Hank (Sep 8, 2015)

ChefBryan said:


> Cinnamon Twist Challah French toast stuffed with Pumpkin Spice Mascarpone Mousse and finished with Blackberry Cassis Caramel. Added some Belgian pearl sugar to the filling, because why not? Who doesn't like little crunchy bits of sugary goodness?


That looks incredible. One vote for little crunchy bits of sugary goodness.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Sous vide pork chops finished in a hot pan, sauteed mushrooms and a savory butternut risotto with roasted garlic. I cubed, oiled, seasoned then roasted a butternut squash pulling what I needed for the risotto half way through. I wanted it to finish with the rice. It turned out delicious and will def make again.


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

I haven't gotten around making anything.
The weather is not really helping. We are hitting the 40-44 oC till the end of the month..... (100-110 F for the metrically challenged). 
The butternut is just there staring at me.....


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I did a twist on Carbonara last night - after rendering my lardon I deglazed the pan with butternut squash, shaved garlic, parsley and peperoncino along with some pasta water. After tempering my egg/cheese mix I added pasta then "sauce" to the pan to combine. The result was very tasty remarkably different than usual with a nutty sweetness that was cut by the garlic. I'll make this any day.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

I bought a 4.5lb piece of pork shoulder the other day with the intention of making sausage, but time does not allow i. As an alternative I made a rub of salt, pepper, cumin, brown sugar, and smoked paprika. The herb was dried rosemary, thyme, parsley, ground ginger and five spice. This went into a slow cooker with a half can of unseasoned pumpkin puree and a bottle of Mexican root beer (real sugar no hfcs). Started about 3:30 this afternoon and smells delicious already. Ought to make for some interesting dreams tonight - LOL.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

So finally got around to doing my Oktoberfest Pork and Pumpkin plate.

*The Players*

Got a ghost pumpkin which looks like a pumpkin, but white instead of orange. And a 6 pound hunk of pork shoulder.















*The procedure*

First the pumpkin was cut in half, pulp removed and roasted until soft.









The flesh was scraped out and given a ride in a food processor until smooth. A slab of the pork was sliced off and reserved. About 2 pounds of the meat was cut off the bone in big cubes, then ground through a 1/4 inch plate. Half of that went through again. It got seasoned with the usual bratwurst spices, like mace and marjoram. 8 ounces of the pumpkin puree was added to the 2 pounds of ground pork and mixed well.









I put the mix in a sealed container and stashed in the fridge overnight. Dug out my sausage casings. Drat.









Somehow they got wet and moldy. And I didn't need to open the package to get an idea of the aroma. Shucks. I probably could have gotten some new casings from Beltex Meats a block down the street, but they aren't open in the middle of the night. I work my job from 10 pm to 6 am, so on my days off I am usually cooking at those hours. Sometimes not the most convenient situation. So I wrapped about 8 ounces of the sausage mix in plastic wrap, then in foil to make a normal sized "link"









Put it in a sealable plastic bag, sous vide at 140 for a bit over an hour.

Meanwhile I pounded out that reserved slab of pork,, while I had some red cabbage braising with bacon, red onion, red wine vinegar, chicken stock, 
salt, pepper and a few caraway seeds.









The pork schnitzel was dusted with flour, dipped in egg and coated with bread crumbs. The bratwurst was pulled out of the sous vide bath and set out to dry a bit. Then it was browned in a small skillet in butter and oil. Then the schnitzel was browned in the same skillet. While it was cooking got the stuff out for the cream sauce.









Schnitzel out of the pan to rest, about a quarter cup of the pumpkin puree went into the skillet, along with about a teaspoon of flour. After a couple of minutes added the cream and the two paprikas. Let it boil a bit until a nice consistency. Time to eat!

*The Product*

Bratwurst plated with a smear of grainy brown mustard, schnitzel with the paprika pumpkin sauce and some of the red cabbage. I thought about trying to do some spaetzle with some pumpkin in the dough, but decided I was going to have enough on the plate.









That sauce turned out quite nice, I like the blend of smoked and hot paprikas. The pork could have been pounded a bit thinner. The bratwurst had a nice flavor, the pumpkin was a nice undertone to the usual brat flavor. The texture was a bit odd, a little too soft, but not unpleasantly so. All in all a nice blending of pork and pumpkin.

mjb.


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

Just a couple more days everyone!


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

ChefBryan said:


> Lol. There was pumpkin in my pumpkin spice. I roasted and pureed a pie pumpkin with 5 spice, oil, vinegar, water, brown sugar, and some of the leftover ginger spice simple syrup I had from my poached pears. The dressing was thick enough that there were no issues holding the spice in suspension.
> 
> I used the same simple syrup for the pepitas. reduced it, hit it with coconut milk, added the pepitas, and agitated it quite a bit to get the sugar to crystalize. finished them in the oven at around 275, stirring several times, for about 15 min to finish the process.


AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.



butzy said:


> I haven't gotten around making anything.
> The weather is not really helping. We are hitting the 40-44 oC till the end of the month..... (100-110 F for the metrically challenged).
> The butternut is just there staring at me.....


Show that squash who's boss! Maybe instead of a hearty warming dish you come up with something fresher and better for hot(!) weather the rest of us wouldn't. I hope you have air conditioning!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Finally I'm getting in on the game. This is an easy dish, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Tagliatelle with rosemary scented burnt butter and butternut squash cream.

I started by sweating an onion in 6 tbsp of butter, and then allowing the butter to brown.









Once it was brown I added the butternut squash, chicken stock, and rosemary and allowed it to cook slowly for 45 minutes.









I puréed the squash and stirred in some heavy cream and a bunch of parmesan









In case anyone is wondering, Jovial is the best brand of gluten free pasta I have found. I cooked up the noodles and tossed them with the sauce.















This dish was very very rich. When I make this again I will add garlic to it and some chili too. But we enjoyed it so much. I found the recipe on tastespotting and adapted it. https://anisasabet.com.au/2016/04/rosemary-fettuccine-burnt-butter-butternut-squash-cream/


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

@koukouvagia that looks really good.

On another note - my pulled pork project had an interesting finish. Once I let the liquid separate in a bowl in the ice box I skimmed the fat off and found the root beer and jus had separated from the pumpkin. The liquid was delicious, but the pumpkin was spent having given all its flavor up to the mix. The pork is delicious and while it was cooking you could smell the pumpkin and root beer combining with the pig meat juices.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

My solitary and rather late entry...

Squid Ink Open Raviolo with Devilled Crab filling and Ghost Pumpkin Velouté (spot the spider):


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

rittenremedy said:


> . I hope you have air conditioning!


No, I don't 



koukouvagia said:


> I started by sweating


Same here 

So, no entry from me this month. Hopefully I can use my butternut in the next challenge and hopefully it cools down a bit


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

I hope y'all enjoyed this challenge as much as I did. It was SO HARD to pick a winner. Time was nonexistent these last few weeks, and I didn't get around to trying some of the recipes I really wanted to make to have an actual tasting part of the challenge. Sorry everyone.

So I thought, there has to be a recipe that I cannot pass up, that is accessible to someone up against their grad school application deadline and midterms at the same damn time, that tastes (hopefully) like squash. There were, unfortunately AND fortunately, several recipes that fit, but one had all the cozy, orange comfort I need right now.

Congratulations @koukouvagia! I love every word in "Tagliatelle with rosemary scented burnt butter and butternut squash cream" and my burnt brain even feels like crawling out of it's cave to try this. Hey, it was the Halloween challenge; I had to say something scary!



koukouvagia said:


> Finally I'm getting in on the game. This is an easy dish, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Tagliatelle with rosemary scented burnt butter and butternut squash cream.
> 
> I started by sweating an onion in 6 tbsp of butter, and then allowing the butter to brown.
> View attachment 66968
> ...


Thanks so much to everyone who participated! It was so fun, and there were so many good looking recipes.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

Congratulations @koukouvagia - it was indeed a delightful dish. Well done!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Meee?? Wow what an honor! Thank you @rittenremedy for the lovely challenge. My brain is at work and I'll have something posted later today. Congrats to all!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Ok I thought about it and it's a no brainer for November....


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## ChefBryan (Nov 10, 2017)

morning glory said:


> My solitary and rather late entry...
> 
> Squid Ink Open Raviolo with Devilled Crab filling and Ghost Pumpkin Velouté (spot the spider):
> 
> ...


you would have had my vote for the win. I think this dish Iooks absolutely stunning. you do such and excellent job with all of your presentation and photography. what is the red sauce?


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

Oh man, not gonna lie, the Squid Ink and Ghost Pumpkin was right up there. I'm super curious about the recipe.


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

ChefBryan said:


> you would have had my vote for the win. I think this dish Iooks absolutely stunning. you do such and excellent job with all of your presentation and photography. what is the red sauce?


Thank you. The red sauce is beetroot juice which I infused with Scotch bonnet chilli, simmering slowly. Then I thickened with xanthum gum. Gloopy!


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## morning glory (May 28, 2015)

rittenremedy said:


> Oh man, not gonna lie, the Squid Ink and Ghost Pumpkin was right up there. I'm super curious about the recipe.


Its probably not as good as it should be. I can do much better pasta. The Ghost pumpkin velouté was good. I happened to get a white pumpkin which tasted OK. Most are grown for their value as doorstep decorations. This one was sweet. Here is the recipe for the velouté:

100g pumpkin chopped into 1 cm pieces
20g butter
20g flour
200ml chicken stock

Melt the butter in saucepan or frying pan and add the chopped pumpkin.
Cook very slowly until the pumpkin is completely softened. Do not allow to colour.
Stir in the four and cook gently for several minutes.
Gradually add the stock, stirring as you go and mashing down the pumpkin.
Cook the sauce gently for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste
Pass the sauce through a very fine sieve to remove fibres. The result should be silky smooth.

The Ghost pumpkin:


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

morning glory said:


> Its probably not as good as it should be. I can do much better pasta. The Ghost pumpkin velouté was good. I happened to get a white pumpkin which tasted OK. Most are grown for their value as doorstep decorations. This one was sweet. Here is the recipe for the velouté:
> 
> 100g pumpkin chopped into 1 cm pieces
> 20g butter
> ...


THANKS!


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