Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

It has been a welcome sight to see the rain fill the water tank, as it was nearly empty.

The rain and cooler weather has finally finished off the pumpkin vine sprawling all over the fence.

As always, there seems to be pumpkin popping up in the garden without any interference from me whatsoever. I now have eight decent-size pumpkin on the shelf in the shed.

There are a lot more things other than soup that you can make with pumpkin – and there are many varieties. Some Heirloom types only available at a farmer's markets.
Cunning marketeers remove all the seeds and cut them into chunks, selling large segments for a few bucks.

In the Mid-western United States pumpkin pie is a popular choice; and clearly the pumpkin has been a symbol of harvest celebrations, including Halloween.

In New Zealand pumpkin pies are a rare treat – and since I've been repeatedly asked for a pumpkin pie recipe, here is one from a few years ago. It's a great way to use up all the pumpkin around at the moment.

Pumpkin Pie

Pastry ingredients

1.5 cups white flour
½ cup wholemeal flour
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter
Iced water

Method

In a food processor, mix all of the ingredients. Then gradually add the ice water until the mixture clings together. Wrap in cling-film and chill while you prepare the filling.

Pie filling ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups cooked pumpkin, mashed
¾ cup honey
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves
1 cup evaporated milk

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pie shell.
The dough can be rolled out on baking paper then placed in an eight-10 inch pie or flan tin. Don't worry if it breaks, as it can easily be repaired once in the tin. I usually find it's not always necessary to pre-bake the crust, as some recipes state.

Bake pie at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 45 minutes or until pie has set. Serve with whipped cream, sweetened with a little honey and enjoy winter's harvest.