From Greg Atkinson

The big pumpkins raised specifically for carving jack-o’-lanterns will not be particularly good eating; they’re too stringy and watery. But the smaller, denser sugar pumpkins grown for pie making are excellent vegetables. Serve blocks of roast pumpkin with pork or chicken. You may wish to roast the pumpkin right in the pan with the meat, in which case you can omit the oil or butter. Even the firmest pumpkin grows very soft when it’s roasted, so handle it carefully after it’s baked.

Makes 6 servings

3 pound red-skinned organic pumpkin or pie pumpkin
2 tablespoons coconut oil, butter, or pan drippings, melted
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or Sugar in the Raw
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
About ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Cut the pumpkin into wedges. Scoop out the seeds and any stringy fibers, then cut away the skin. Cut the peeled and seeded pumpkin into short, rectangular pieces about 2 inches square and 4 inches long.

3. Toss the pumpkin pieces with the melted coconut oil and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Do not allow the pieces to touch. Sprinkle the pumpkin with the sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

4. Roast the pumpkin pieces until they are browned on all sides and tender, about 10 minutes. Just before serving, finish them with a grind of black pepper. Use a fish spatula to transfer the roasted pumpkin pieces from the baking sheet to plates.
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See also Jesse’s Organic Pumpkin-Raisin Bread Pudding Recipe
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Greg Atkinson is author of West Coast Cooking, and The Northwest Essentials Cookbook, and lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Greg is Culinary Director of OrganicToGo.
Image Credit: Sugar Pumpkins © Mark Grenier | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
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