Hello November! got the blue`s then get the orange and bite into a Million!

As we enter November we say farewell to the long warm sunny days and welcome in the darker, longer, cooler nights.

We contend with increased food costs, fuel costs, taxes and growing inflation, and all the aforementioned are for the lucky ones that do not have to face the fear of bombs, homelessness or going hungry.

Whilst I must admit having heard many stories from my great grandmother and grandmother telling me about the many bad winters that they suffered over 100 years ago, when they were little girls, recalling that it was normal as children in cold weather to have their bodies rubbed all over with animal fat to help keep warm and quite normal to have their feet and legs wrapped in brown paper and tied with string to keep snow from getting their legs and feet wet as they walked to school just makes you realise how lucky we are today with the simple inventions of thermal clothing and wellington boots!.

The growth of food poverty in the UK is sadly on the increase, so writing about food in these challenging times can often feel like you are a coconut at the fair ground with people lining up to throw a bean bag at you at every opportunity!.

Whatever you say or write will not hit everyone’s pocket or circumstance, so with that said, I am continuing my “kick at the pantry door” theme using the seasons favourite?ingredient that brings us nicely to?“Pumpkins”.

?Millions have been sold over the past week and there are still many out there available as we move into November, whilst I still don’t have figures for this year’s?production, in 2020, the world production of pumpkins (including squash and gourds) reached around 28 million tonnes !.

?Whilst a Pumpkin is 92% water, in a 100-gram (3.5?oz) portion, a raw pumpkin provides 110 kilojoules (26 kilocalories) of food energy and is an excellent source of pro vitamin A and?beta-carotene?.?

Vitamin C?is present in moderate content (11% ) as too are small quantities of?carbohydrate,?dietary fibre with traces of Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin,?fat?and?protein?also being present.?

?The seeds can also be eaten so don’t throw them away. Simply place them in the oven ( when you are cooking other items to save on fuel costs) to dry, and sprinkled with a little salt or drizzled with soy sauce as they make a nutritious snack that contains??protein,?magnesium,?copper?and?zinc

?Pumpkins were known as far back as 7,000 to 5,000 BC and even the leaves are apparently consumed as a vegetable in Korean cuisine, although I have personally never tried them.?

?Whilst they have been used and associated with ancient folklore in the form of jack a lanterns for keeping the evil spirits away, they are also associated with the American “Thanks Giving” held on the 24th?November!.

?Stay well, warm and safe and I leave you with an ancient recipe that is very relevantly timed with the November "Thanks Giving"?called “Norfolk Million Pie” .

?Norfolk Million Pie

?“Million” is an old word for Melon, Pumpkin or any kind other gourd.?

This Pie recipe crossed the Atlantic to the new world with the Pilgrim fathers who came mostly from East Anglia and was served at the first ever thanksgiving dinner at their first harvest in the New World!. This pie certainly is a taste of the past for kitchens of the future!.

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Ingredients for 4 or 6 portions

?225g ( 8oz) shortcrust pastry

450g ( 1lb) Pumpkin flesh ( peel and seeds removed) cut into 2.5 cm ( 1inch) slices

275 ml / 300 ml (? pt) water

50g ( 2oz ) Apricot, plum jam or marmalade ( whichever you may have in your cupboard)?

1 fresh med sized egg

1 ? tbsp. Brown sugar

1 tsp of ground nutmeg ( or allspice as an option)?

25g (1oz) dry currants, raisins or sultanas.?

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Method

1/ Boil the Pumpkin in the water ( approx 8 -10 mins) then drain and cool when soft and keep aside in a bowl to cool slightly.

2/ Roll out the pastry and line a 20cm ( 8inch) pastry case ( save the trimmings)

3/ Spread the pastry case with a layer of the chosen jam or marmalade

4/ To the bowl of cooked and slightly cooled?pumpkin, add the egg , sugar and nutmeg ( or all spice) and blend ( using a fork or electric blender) until smooth and lump free.

5/ Add the dried fruit mix well then spread over the top of the jam ( or marmalade).

6/ Using the remaining pastry and trimmings, roll and cut out thin strips and make a lattice over the top.

7/Place into a pre heated oven at 200 dgr ( 400 dgr f) gas mark 6 for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 180 dgrs ( gas mark 4 ) and cook for a further 10 – 12 minutes ( please note that the exact timings will depend on the oven so keep an eye on it) and cook until golden brown.

8/ Serve this pie hot or cold, on its own or with a splash of cream.