Punkins

My taste buds are feeling the need for fall flavors, specifically for autumn spices.  I love the taste of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Sage and celery added to cornbread makes a wonderful side dish for poultry or pork.  Perhaps its these first cool days after a long hot summer that spurs the desire for cold weather foods.  Even the restaurants are beginning to push foods reminiscent of cooler seasons.

For me the ultimate Autumn food would be pumpkin.  Ol' Abner refers to them as "gourds" and despises even the smell.  Oh woe is me.  I indulge in anything pumpkin as the season progresses.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin flavored coffee, pumpkin roll, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup and of course a pumpkin smoothie to start my day.  One of my favorite caterers offered an autumn cooking class a decade or two ago and I still pull those recipes out when I feel this welcome urge.  She used the entire pumpkin. The pulp, the seeds and the rind were all valued in preparation of her treats.  A meatloaf or beef stew baked in a pumpkin hull infused a richness never found before.  Large pumpkins became serving vessels for punches and soups.  Tiny pie pumpkins held yummy dips in a lovely setting on the appetizer table.  We tossed the seeds in sweet or savory spices and baked them.The resulting goodies added crunch to almost any recipe and provided a quick snack food to add to trail mixes or use as a topping.

I even love the color of pumpkin.  The soft orange exudes comfort.  (I refuse to compare it to the "burnt orange" celebrated in this neighborhood) I love it's soft warmth.   Maybe this is a childhood indulgence. Early memories of my grandmother bring to mind a sometimes endearment she used for me.  She would pat her lap and say "Come here Punkin'" signaling that I could sit and rock til sleep just magically happened.  Maybe pumpkins are magical, even after midnight!