Grazing with Gary: Never enough pumpkin recipes

We have reached the end of September and now are just three months away from Christmas. This Saturday, Loomis celebrates the eggplant with its annual Loomis Eggplant Festival downtown on Taylor Road. They have more than 100 vendors, and don't forget your free eggplant. It is not fall weather outside, but our recipes will continue PumpkinFest. You can never have enough pumpkin recipes so let's get started. The first recipe is for a fun vegan curry dish using real pumpkin. The second recipe is for a whole stuffed pumpkin. I like to make these in smaller pumpkins and let everyone have their own stuffed pumpkin. The last recipe is for a twist on the scalloped potato. Serve this dish to your Halloween guests or save the recipe for your Thanksgiving table. Happy Cooking!!! Chickpea Pumpkin Coconut Curry Ingredients · 2 tablespoons olive oil · 5-6 cloves garlic, crushed · 1 teaspoon red chili, chopped · 1 cup tomato, chopped · 1 teaspoon turmeric powder · ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder · 2 cups chickpea boiled until soft · 1 cup pumpkin, peeled and cubed · 2 cups vegetable stock · 1 cup coconut milk · 2 cups spinach chopped · Salt to taste Instructions 1. Heat olive oil in a pan. 2. Add garlic and fry for a few seconds. 3. Add red chili and tomato and cook for 3-4 minutes. 4. Now add turmeric powder and roasted cumin powder and fry for a minute. 5. Add chickpeas, pumpkin and veg stock and simmer the curry on low heat for 30-35 minutes. 6. Add coconut milk, spinach and salt and cook for another 3-4 minutes. 7. Serve the curry with steamed rice. Vegetarian Stuffed Pumpkin Ingredients 1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms1 (7- to 8-pound) large baking pumpkin, such a fairytale or Cinderella1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided4 cups stale cornbread (12 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes3 cups grated Gruyere cheese (6 ounces), divided1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh sage leaves3 tablespoons unsalted butter1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced2 cups cremini mushrooms (6 ounces), trimmed, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick2 cloves garlic, minced3 cups coarsely chopped kale leaves (2 ounces)1/4 cup dry white wine, such as pinot gris (optional)4 large eggs1/2 cup heavy cream1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Instructions Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven, remove any racks above it, and heat to 350°F. Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms. Soak dried mushrooms in hot water until soft, then finely chop. Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups of hot water until soft and pliable, about 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the soaking water and finely chop. Reserve 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid (avoiding any sediment on the bottom) if not using wine for deglazing the skillet in step 5. Wash, remove the top, hollow out, and season the pumpkin. Wash and dry the pumpkin. Carefully cut a wide lid off the top by working your knife around the stem at a 45-degree angle until you've cut all the way around and the lid comes off. A wide opening makes it easier to fill and serve the pumpkin, so err on the side of a large lid rather than a small one. Cut the stringy bits and seeds off the lid with a knife or kitchen shears. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh until the pumpkin cavity is hollow and smooth. Season the inside of the pumpkin and the lid with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Combine the cornbread, cheese and herbs. Place the cornbread, 2 1/2 cups of the Gruyère cheese, thyme and sage in a large bowl and toss to combine; set aside.Sauté the vegetables for the filling. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until seared with a golden-brown crust, about 4 minutes. Add the kale and cook until bright green and wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine or reserved porcini soaking liquid and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Toss the mushroom mixture with the cornbread mixture. Transfer the mushroom mixture to bowl with the cornbread and toss to combine. Make the custard and pour into stuffing mixture. Whisk the eggs, cream, mustard, nutmeg and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the stuffing mixture and stir until just moistened. Stuff the pumpkin. Spoon the stuffing into the prepared pumpkin and replace the lid. Bake the pumpkin about 2 hours, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F. The filling should be bubbling and brown, and the pumpkin will be tender and easily pierced with a knife. Top with cheese and broil. Remove the lid and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyère. Turn the broiler to HIGH and broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer pumpkin to a platter and serve. Use 2 sturdy spatulas to carefully lift the pumpkin off the baking sheet and transfer to a serving platter.To serve, scoop the filling and a generous portion of the pumpkin onto plates, or cut the pumpkin and filling into generous wedges. Pumpkin Scallop Potatoes Ingredients · 2 tbsp unsalted butter · 1 tbsp minced garlic · 2 tbsp flour · 1 cup hot milk · 1/2 tsp kosher salt · 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp pumpkin puree · 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese · 3 large russet or Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/8-inch slices Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or grease a 1-quart oval baking dish or equivalent size. 2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes until soft and fragrant. Whisk in flour. Slowly whisk in warm milk and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 3. Whisk in pumpkin puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 4. Layer half of the potatoes into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread half of the sauce on top. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top. Layer remaining potatoes on top of the first layer. Repeat process. 5. Spray aluminum foil with baking spray, cover the baking dish and bake until potatoes are fork tender. In the last few minutes of cooking, turn the heat on to broil. Cook until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before serving.