How to carve a pumpkin like a pro (and the best recipes to create from its leftovers)

With Halloween just around the corner (just where has this year gone?), now is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and get creative with October’s favourite traditional vegetable - the pumpkin. 

Want a Jack ’o’ lantern that will make your neighbours green with envy? Here’s a step-by-step guide to pumpkin carving perfection. With no room for waste, we’ve whipped up some great ideas for using leftover flesh and seeds to create winter warmers packed full of flavour. 

How to carve your pumpkin like a pro in four simple steps

Step 1.

Choose a big, fresh pumpkin and use a sharp serrated knife to cut off the crown. 

Step 2. 

Hollow out the pumpkin, using a large spoon (or your hands) to scoop out the seeds and fibres. Discard these and remove the pumpkin’s excess flesh to make carving that little bit easier. 

Step 3.

Use a marker pen to outline your preferred pumpkin face - let your imagination and creativity run loose, the scarier, the better! Use a small, sharp knife to cut out those terrifying features, taking care to cut away from your body. 

Step 4. 

Pop a tealight into your pumpkin, light it and replace the crown. Place your pumpkin in your window for all to marvel at in wonder. 

Got plenty of leftover pumpkin flesh and seeds? Don’t throw them away - instead use the tasty remains to create soft, sweet and creamy flavoured dishes that will warm you up from the inside out during colder months. 

Hearty pumpkin soup

For a silky, textured dish that will delight your taste buds, try whipping up this culinary delight. Sprinkle with crunchy, roasted pumpkin seeds for added flavour and flair. 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil

1kg pumpkin flesh

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon chilli powder

700ml vegetable stock

150ml double cream

A handful of pumpkin seeds

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Add 3 tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan, before adding the onions and garlic, gently cooking until soft and coloured. 

Then, add the pumpkin flesh to the pan along with the chilli powder and a dash of salt and pepper, cooking for ten minutes until it starts to soften. Pour the stock into the pan, bring to the boil and allow to simmer for a further 15 minutes until the squash is very soft. 

Meanwhile, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan, along with the pumpkin seeds, toasting them for five minutes on medium heat, then set them aside.

Crank up the heat and throw your double cream into the pan, bringing the mixture back to a boil, before using a hand blender to create a thick, creamy consistency.

Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds. 



Delicious pumpkin pie

Traditionally an American pudding, this gorgeous dessert has travelled across the Atlantic to become a spiced, seasonal hit. 

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin, quartered

400g ready-made sweet pastry

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp nutmeg

2 large eggs, beaten

140g caster sugar

25g butter, melted

150ml milk

Method: 

Pre-heat your oven to 200c/gas mark 6. 

Add the pumpkin to a roasting tray, sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, before drizzling with maple syrup. Cover with tinfoil, pop it into the oven and allow to roast for 45 minutes or until soft. Turn the oven down to 180c/gas mark 4. 

Meanwhile, roll out the ready-made pastry on a floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin, leaving to chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and bake for 15 mins. Remove the parchment paper and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is slightly golden with a heavenly biscuity texture. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Once cooked, allow the pumpkin to cool before throwing into a food processor and whizzing until you reach a smooth consistency. Set aside in a bowl. Gradually mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, taking care to stir to combine. 

Fill the cooled tart case with the mixture and allow to bake for 45 minutes. Allow cooling before serving with a dollop of cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon. 

Creamy pumpkin risotto

This winter warmer is a crowd-pleaser - mega tasty and super simple to make. Comfort food at its very best. 

Ingredients:

40g diced pancetta

600ml vegetable stock

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500g cubed pumpkin

olive oil

200g arborio rice

100ml white wine

bunch of sage leaves

4 tbsp mascarpone

1 tbsp oregano

Grated parmesan

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, adding in the pancetta cubes and sage. Leave and allow to crisp. Once they’ve reached the desired texture, turn down the heat and set aside. 

In another large heavy-based saucepan add in the garlic, onion and cubed pumpkin, allowing to sauté until soft gently. 

Next, add in the rice, allowing to cover the ingredients, along with the white wine. Once the wine has absorbed, add the stock in batches, allowing all the liquid to absorb before adding more. 

Once all the stock has been absorbed, and rice has cooked through, add in the pancetta, sage leaves, oregano, mascarpone and half the parmesan. Stir through and season to taste, finishing off with a sprinkling of the remaining parmesan.