We are well past the time that all of the pumpkin spice foods and drinks showing up everywhere. I’ve never been known to be on time for anything! So count me late on the pumpkin recipes.
Foods
You know me. I find a website with great sounding recipes and I share. I’m going to mention a few here from The Spruce Eats website. I don’t often care for sweet pumpkin recipes, not even pumpkin pie. But put it with pasta and bacon? That might just do the trick for me. Like this one: Stuffed Shells With Pumpkin-Bacon Sauce. The recipe also calls for onion, rosemary, thyme and fontina cheese.
Or how about this? Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Soup. This starts with a fresh pumpkin, and the garlic is roasted inside it.
And since this is the season for soups, try this one: Thai Pumpkin Coconut Soup. This has several ingredients, but is really very simple. For an idea of how it might taste, a few of the ingredients (besides pumpkin!) are lemongrass, lime, red chili pepper, cumin, coconut milk and spinach.
Here is another savory recipe: Pumpkin Risotto. This is a vegan recipe. I love rice. I love almost everything about rice. No matter what the recipe calls for, though, I use basmati rice.
Drinks
If pumpkin is your “thing,” you can find a drink to light your world! This website, again from The Spruce Eats, gives several recipes. I will mention a few. Before I do that, though, let me quote from the site.
“A few ingredients will bring that sweet pumpkin taste into your drinks, and they become relatively easy to find come fall. Some recipes use pumpkin ingredients commonly found in food, including pumpkin butter, purée, and seeds, and pumpkin pie filling or spice.
You will also notice pumpkin syrups, liqueurs, and vodkas appearing on store shelves as early as September. However, if you have a favorite brand, it’s not a guarantee that it will be around next year. Pumpkin is a very seasonal flavor, and producers cannot always keep them going. If your favorite disappears, move on to the next option or learn how to make a substitute at home. There’s always a way to get your pumpkin fix; sometimes, you just have to get creative.”
According to the website, “The Great Pumpkin is a unique cocktail with an exceptional ingredient. To pull it off, you’ll create a pumpkin-flavored Scotch whisky. The infusion takes about two days and is worth the wait. You’ll then pair the whisky with ginger liqueur, maple syrup, and lemon juice and finished it off with a dash of cinnamon. One taste, and you’ll fall in love.”
I love to infuse liquors. This will be fun. Trust me.
Pumpkin martini recipes are everywhere. The one on this site is simple and calls for vanilla vodka, cream liqueur and pumpkin liqueur. (The site also gives links to other recipes.)
The last recipe I’ll share is this one. The Spiced Pumpkin Martini. Use “a pumpkin-flavored vodka to create an amazing martini. While there are commercial options available, you can make it in just a few hours. The… recipe includes a homemade spiced pumpkin vodka made with roasted, honey-braised pumpkin and bay leaves. Once ready, the drink requires spiced syrup and a piece of fresh ginger. It’s a fascinating cocktail that is a perfect seasonal treat.”
In Closing
I’m not a pumpkin person, but these recipes might just turn me.