“Only the knife knows what it happens in heart of a pumpkin.” – Simone Schwarz-Bart
Who is the star of the autumnal tables? Clearly the pumpkin!
In these weeks we see all kinds, tastes and shapes of pumpkins: Halloween is coming! But with we carve it for this celebration? This tradition with Anglo-Saxons origins derives from the legend of Jack-o’-lantern, the stingy and smart Irish blacksmith. This one made a pact with the Devil, after having repeatedly crossed his paths and cleverly cheated: following a long discussion, The Devil agreed to avoid eternal damnation to the Irish, on the condition that he would never meet him again on his way. He also refused his entry in the hell once he died giving him an eternal ember in order to help him in wandering among the lost souls. Jack put it in an empty turnip which he had with him and from here the known Halloween decorations born, later switched in pumpkins.
So, the Halloween pumpkin is a simply memory to this drunk and smiley blacksmith who dared in challenging Satan, but it is also a way to exorcize the scare for the supernatural and the unknown, to show the absence of unjustified fears. The Jack legend, indeed, teaches us how demons and ghosts cannot do anything against the reason that allowed him to exploit his cunning by saving himself.
Not everyone knows, by the way, that this autumnal vegetable is not only nice, colored and… legendary, but it is mainly a real wellness elixir and how you already know, at the AbanoRitz the well-being is a priority!
With a delicate taste and composed by the 90% of water, the pumpkin still be strongly satiating and low in calories at the same time, in addition of not having fat. The pulp riches in vitamins and minerals helps to keep us in shape, eliminating cellulite and water retention, stimulating diuresis and improving skin color thanks to beta-carotene. Let’s take advantage of it!
It is cultivated more or less everywhere, but in Italy we have the record for some unique versions. The long one of Napoli, for example, can be until one meter long and it is almost without seeds; the Violina of Ferrara has a such delicate taste that it goes perfectly with the preparation of jams or desserts; the one of Piozzo is perfect for risotto and it is the star of the famous festival of the autumnal period. The pumpkin of Albenga is the summer exception.
The pumpkin risotto is one of the must of the autumn, but the pumpkin has different preparations sweet as salty, from the aperitif to the dessert. Here few inspirations to differently taste this vegetable:
- Baked pumpkin cut into sticks with various aromatic herbs as sage, rosemary, laurel or mint, a drizzle of oil and off into the oven at 200° for about 20 minutes.
- The pumpkin Parmigiana, where we find it alternated with layers of béchamel, grated cheese, scamorza and speck before being put in the oven at 180° for about 30 minutes accompanied by some sage leafs and a sprig of rosemary.
- The pappardelle (kind of pasta) with pumpkin, salted ricotta, sesame seeds and a note of fresh thyme, then gratin 10 minutes in the oven.
- The pumpkin cheesecake remains a simply and tasty solution for children and adults.
For a little trip, right this weekend, the 26th and 27th of October, there is the Festival of the Pumpkin in Sernaglia della Battaglia, in the city of Treviso, or the Pumpking Celebration in Salzano, in the city of Venezia. This last will repeat also from the 1st to the 3rd of November.
We invite you at the discovering of the pumpkin then!
