Besides the fact that a pumpkin can be turned into a carriage and go to the ball, this ancient vegetable has a mass of culinary and healing virtues.
Only at the sight of the pulp of a bright yellow fruit does a good mood appear by itself, which, in turn, helps to improve appetite.
A pumpkin carriage is, of course, a fairy tale, but one can agree with the fact that the vegetable has some magical power, provided that it turns out to be in the hands of a real fairy who can make a culinary masterpiece from it.
How to cook pumpkin to preserve vitamins
Each dish should not only be beautiful and tasty. The main purpose of any food is to supply the body with vital vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and organic compounds. If at the dawn of civilization the useful properties of pumpkin and other cultures were determined by man on an intuitive, subconscious level, then in our time its biochemical composition is well studied, and the degree of usefulness of the product is appreciated by medicine.
To understand what methods of mechanical and heat treatment should be subjected to a vegetable, you need to know at least the basic properties of the biochemical substances that make up the pumpkin.
Vitamins A, B and C are found in pumpkin in greatest quantities. Vitamin A in it is 2.5 times more than the required daily intake, B vitamins are presented in all their diversity, including B9, which is rarely found in other products, folic acid.
Vitamins are the most susceptible to cooking and require a special approach to cooking. Vitamins A, B are destroyed during the heat treatment, and the content of vitamin C in the products decreases sharply even when refined and sliced, and then, when heated to 400C, it is almost completely destroyed. Therefore, vegetables need to be washed, peeled and chopped very quickly, this is best done immediately before use. So, vitamin salads do not make sense to store in the refrigerator.
As for minerals, many of them in the cooking process go into the broth. Calcium, potassium, sodium, copper, iron, phosphorus, zinc are well soluble in water. All these elements are present in the pumpkin, and they are vital. Therefore, you need to take care of their assimilation. In addition, pumpkin contains iodine, manganese, magnesium, fluorine, cobalt, which are involved in the construction of important organic compounds, enzymatic processes that have beneficial effects on cells.
It is noteworthy that the calorie content of pumpkin is very low (22Kk / 100 g), despite the fact that it contains enough coarse fiber to provide fast saturation.
Pumpkin, despite being an alien from Central America, is very widespread in our area. It can be grown without much labor in summer cottages and household plots, or purchased, from the same summer residents, in the market. Considering everything said about the benefits of the vegetable, it must be included in the menu, especially since the pumpkin is also not whimsical in storage.
How to cook pumpkin - methods of heat treatment
If a solid vegetable needs heat treatment, as is the case with dense pulp of pumpkin, then we choose options, depending on the recipe and based on what was said above about preserving the benefits of the product.
To prepare salads, desserts, toppings for pies, choose the following methods of heat treatment:
Undermining
Salt the peeled and sliced pumpkin or sprinkle with sugar so that it releases its own juice faster and boil in a minimum amount of water: you need exactly as much water as necessary so that the pulp does not burn and does not stick to the bottom of the pan until it reaches softness. Be sure to close the lid.
For poaching, a crock-pot, a microwave are perfect.
Roasting
There are two ways to bake pumpkin, while also taking into account the features of the recipe and the taste that you need to get.
First way. Put slices of chopped pumpkin on a greased baking sheet or cast-iron pan. Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven (170-1800С), and pre-heat the pan on the stove. To quickly form a crust that will prevent, at least partially, the loss of vitamins, lightly sprinkle the chopped pulp with sugar. This technique will also give the vegetable a slight piquancy and emphasize the taste of pumpkin. Do not be afraid that in the salad, sweet pumpkin will stand out with sweetness. On the contrary, the combination of all shades of taste is the perfect harmony that professional chefs always strive for.
The second way. If, nevertheless, you want to preserve the natural taste of pumpkin, then wrap the prepared vegetable in foil and use the oven. The foil will not let the vitamins disappear. Just do not unwrap it after baking until the pumpkin has cooled.
Quenching
Suppose a pumpkin is part of a meat stew with vegetables or is an ingredient in milk porridge. In this case, we must proceed from the fact that the duration of preparation of different ingredients is not the same. For cooking meat, depending on the variety and type, it will take from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours. For cooking cereals, it is necessary in various cases 15-40 minutes. Add the pumpkin 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking. Here you also need to take into account the size of the pumpkin slices: grated, it will be cooked in 7-10 minutes, and larger cubes need, maybe even more than 15 minutes.
Another factor affecting the duration of heat treatment is the variety and maturity of the pumpkin. In each case, you need to try the product to determine the hardness or softness of the consistency necessary for the dish.
Cooking
This method of cooking pumpkin is most often needed for soups. If we are talking about mashed soup, then you can reduce the time of heat exposure due to preliminary mechanical preparation: just make mashed potatoes from pumpkin and send it to the soup with fresh herbs in 2-3 minutes. Close the pan with a lid and wait for the pumpkin to evaporate.
Important with any method of cooking vegetables, remember the most important thing - you need to save more vitamins in the finished dish.
How to cook pumpkin - a recipe for baked apples with pumpkin and raisins
Product Composition:
Large apples 6 pcs.
Pumpkin Pulp 150 g
Raisins 70 g
Dried apricots 80-100 g
Pumpkin seeds
Honey 200 g
Sesame
White grape
Orange syrup 100 g
Cooking method:
Wash large sweet and sour apples, cut a piece of pulp and a core with a tail. Wash raisins and dried apricots (no need to steam). Finely chop the dried apricots. Grate the pulp of apples and pumpkins on a grater, combine with dried apricots, raisins and honey. Stuff apples with the mixture and wrap them in foil. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 1700С. When cooled, remove the foil, arrange the apples in plates, sprinkle with sesame seeds and crushed pumpkin seeds. Garnish with grapes and pour with orange syrup.
This recipe has many options - pick your own other favorite ingredients for apples and pumpkin.
How to cook pumpkin - the recipe for an original salad with pumpkin
Products:
Arugula
Roasted duck fillet 200 g
Basil
Rosemary
Feta cheese 150 g
Marinated olives 100 g
Boiled pumpkin 200 g
Red, lettuce pepper 150 g
Olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and a mixture of peppers - for dressing
Cooking:
In a wide flat dish, tear the herbs of basil, rosemary and arugula. Cut the poultry meat, cheese and pumpkin into equal cubes. Cut the pitted olives into thin rings and chop the sweet pepper into strips. First mix all the prepared ingredients in a deep salad bowl, then put them on a plate in a slide. From oil, juice and spices, prepare a dressing to taste, and pour salad before serving.
How to cook pumpkin - pumpkin soup with hunting sausages, in German
Composition:
Chicken Broth 1.8 L
Pumpkin 600 g
Cream (20%) 300 g
Onions, 180 g
Ghee 70 g
Sausages (sausages), hunting 300 g
Parsley, curly (sprigs for serving)
Sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, crushed
Garlic 30 g
Cooking:
Grate the pumpkin. Cut the sausages into rings, chop the onion. Sauté the onion in preheated butter, put it on a plate. In the same oil, fry slices of smoked sausages, adding garlic to them, and also put separately.
In a boiling chicken stock, dip the pumpkin and cook until soft, season the stock with spices, add sautéed onion. Remove the pan from the stove and pour the soup into a blender. Interrupt by adding warm cream. Return the soup to the pot, bring to a boil. Serve by putting fried sausages in a plate and garnishing with sprigs of greens, sesame seeds, seeds.
How to cook pumpkin - useful tips
Pumpkin is an ideal vegetable for carving. It can also serve as "dishes" if you cut off the "lid" at the base, extract the seeds, and put meat, cereals or fruits inside and bake the dish in the oven.
Historical artifacts indicate that the ancient Aztecs consumed not only the flesh and seeds of pumpkins, but also its stems, flowers, leaves. Given the emerging culinary idea of decorating dishes with edible flowers, pick pumpkin flowers on occasion and picking up the coarse parts of the sepals, pickle the flowers in a regular marinade, or preserve for desserts in thick sugar syrup.
Many people like pumpkin seeds, not to mention their benefits, no less valuable biochemical composition and widespread use in folk and scientific medicine. Try to buy the whole pumpkin, with seeds. Even if the fruit is large, its pulp can be cut, divided in portions and frozen in containers or vacuum bags. Sunflower seeds are expensive, and pumpkin is a very social product.
Frozen pumpkin is quicker and easier to cook.
Seeds need to be sorted out, washed and dried. Store them in a closet, in tightly closed glassware. Pumpkin seeds are used for baking, preparing salads and desserts.
