- Get
to Know Your Pumpkin
- FROM THE AMERICAN
INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Carving pumpkins
is nothing new. People have been making jack o’ lanterns
for centuries. In Britain, they carved scary faces on turnips
and beets and set them in windows to scare away evil wandering
spirits. When immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and England came
to the United States, they found that pumpkins made perfect jack
o’ lanterns.
Only very recently
have Americans begun to recognize that pumpkins are as good to
eat as to carve. First there was pumpkin pie. Then pumpkin showed
up in muffins and cheesecake.
But pumpkins
- members of the gourd family - can be used in the same ways
as any other winter squash. The French use pumpkin almost exclusively
to make soup. The dark orange meat has a mild, sweet taste. The
French sometimes turn the pumpkin into a tureen - filling it
with cheese and bread and baking the whole thing until the interior
becomes a thick, rich soup.
Pumpkins are
available in the fall and winter months, and pureed pumpkin is
available in cans year-round. When using fresh pumpkin, the smaller
ones are usually best. Small, sweet jack-be-littles, cheese pumpkins
or sugar pumpkins are all good choices.
In fact, one
of the few pumpkins not fit to eat is the kind you carve. Jack
o’ lantern pumpkins have watery, stringy pulp. But you can
save and toast the seeds, which have a nutty flavor and are good
snacks or soup garnishes. For cooking, pick unblemished pumpkins
that are heavy for their size.
Canned pumpkin
is the easiest way to add the distinctive flavor and orange color
- indicating the presence of cancer-fighting beta-carotene -
to a dish. Pumpkins also are a good source of Vitamin A.
The following
recipe makes a thick rich soup - or bisque - with pieces of apple
for a nice color contrast and some crunch - a perfect way to
welcome fall and celebrate Halloween.
Pumpkin Bisque
- Makes
6 cups or 6 servings.
- 1 Tbsp. canola
oil
- 1 Granny Smith
apple, peeled, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 leek, white
part only, finely chopped
- 4 cups non-fat,
reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 yam or sweet
potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/2-inch slices
- 1 can (16
oz.) puréed pumpkin
- 1/4 tsp. dried
thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly
ground pepper, to taste
- 4 tsp. finely
minced chives, for garnish
In a large,
heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté
the leek and apple until the leek softens, about 4 minutes.
Add the broth,
yam, pumpkin and thyme. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat,
then reduce the heat and simmer until the yam and apple are soft
when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer soup
to a blender or food processor and purée. Divide among
6 bowls. Garnish, if desired, with the chives and serve.
Per serving: 82 calories, 3 g. total fat (<1 g. saturated
fat), 14 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 392
mg. sodium.
_____________________________________
- AICR offers
a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. ET, a free service that allows you to ask a registered
dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. The American
Institute for Cancer Research is the only major cancer charity
focusing exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and
cancer. The Institute provides a range of education programs
that help millions of Americans learn to make changes for lower
cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer
prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research
centers across the U.S. The Institute has provided more than
$65 million in funding for research in diet, nutrition and cancer.
AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member
of the World Cancer Research Fund International.
- _____________________________________
- RECIPE POSTED
OCTOBER 27, 2003
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