Pumpkin is called the gourd (a plant that belongs to the cucurbit family) and its fruit (which is edible and can have different dimensions, shapes and colors). In general, the concept refers to the fleshy berry that can be consumed in multiple ways.
Although there are many types of squash according to the different genus of cucurbits, it can be said that pumpkins are large, have a hard shell and contain numerous seeds or pipes.
According to the country and context, one can speak of pumpkin, squash, zucchini, squash, zucchini, squash, pumpkin or pipián. The fruits of the Lagenaria, Cucurbita, Amphitecna, Sicana and Benincasa genera are often called pumpkin in many countries. The idea of squash, from the Quechua word sapallu, is very common in several South American nations.
As a food, pumpkin can be prepared in different ways. It is usual to remove the peel before consumption, although it can be cooked with it. The seeds can be roasted and eaten as an aperitif with the addition of salt and spices.
According to DigoPaul, the boiled pumpkin is a very healthy food. By crushing the fruit once boiled, a puree can be prepared. You can also make baked pumpkin, either as a garnish or filling it as a main dish.
With pumpkin, flour and egg, on the other hand, it is possible to make pumpkin gnocchi. In this case, you have to make a dough and then cut the gnocchi, which must be placed in boiling water. When the pumpkin gnocchi rise to the surface and begin to float, they are ready to serve.
Perhaps one of the simplest recipes to prepare with pumpkin is to cut it into cross slices, so that each of them has a circular shape, like large “coins”, and then heat them in the microwave oven for a few minutes until they are cooked. soften and can be eaten accompanied by a fresh salad of lettuce, tomato and onion, for example.
This preparation is the simplest version, and can be completed simply by seasoning the pumpkin slices with salt and pepper, or with our favorite seasonings, such as oregano, paprika or garlic powder. If we want to achieve a tastier result, we can always paint the slices with a sauce, as if they were small pizzas, before heating them.
For either of the two recipes, it is advisable to place the pumpkin slices in a deep container, such as a deep plate, add at least one tablespoon of water and cover everything with transparent paper for the microwave oven; in this way, the vegetable will not lose its moisture and the resulting consistency will be much more pleasant.
Stuffed pumpkins are more difficult to prepare, but they are also much tastier and can be eaten without a side. For its preparation it is necessary first of all to boil them whole, without removing the shell or chopping them. They reach the right point when we can prick them with a fork or some other sharp utensil without any problem, although it is advisable to remove them from the water before they are too soft.
At this point, we must wait for them to cool down to avoid burning or breaking while we handle them. Once they have reached room temperature, then we must make a cut lengthwise, so that it is divided into two equal parts.
Next, we must hollow out each of the halves, removing as much as we can but without jeopardizing the integrity of the shell. In the next step we can use our creativity and apply our own tastes, since the idea is to mix the pumpkin with other ingredients and make a puree, which then we will have to deposit again in the shells to bake them until they are ready to serve.
