Waste Not, or why you should never freeze pumpkin

I hate to waste food. I don’t remember being told to clean my plate because people were starving in India. But I do remember food drives, UNICEF collections at Halloween, and in college, amazement at what you could find in a dumpster behind a grocery store.

Now, I compost everything I can, including paper napkins and plates. I got a vermiculture setup for Christmas and just ordered my red wigglers. I am more adept than ever at casseroles and stews. My freezer is full of little bits of things that I am going to make something out of.

Except pumpkin. Never again shall I try to freeze pumpkin.

I got a centerpiece pumpkin at the Food Summit in November. I didn’t have time to prepare it at the time. I baked it, peeled and cut it into chunks, vacuum sealed and tossed it into the freezer. I had no qualms. After all, acorn squash and butternut squash freeze beautifully, so why not pumpkin?

Fast forward to March. I have GOT to cook some of that stuff in the freezer, including the pumpkin. I used Foodily and found a recipe on the Martha Stewart site for a pasta dish with pumpkin, bacon and cheese. I happened to have a couple of slices of high-priced organic bacon on hand. Even had some delicious homemade chicken stock. The rest of the ingredients are staples in my kitchen. (Bacon and cheese? How could it not be good?)

This is what the dish is supposed to look like. Thanks to a bad memory card, you will not be subjected to photos of my attempt. Bottom line: Frozen pumpkin is a mushy, flavorless, colorless mess. The bacon and cheese made it edible, but the pumpkin was watery and a nasty pale yellow.

I did, however, still eat all of the pasta over the next several days, liberally sprinkled with Parmesan. Because I hate to waste food.

The recipe, in case you want to try it out when pumpkin is in season:

Rigatoni with Pumpkin and Bacon

Martha Stewart Living, Volume 155 October 2006

• Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

• Coarse salt
• 8 slices bacon coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion halved and thinly sliced
• 1 sugar pumpkin (about 3 pounds) peeled and halved, seeds removed, and flesh cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons hulled raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) toasted, for garnish

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Put bacon into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until bacon is almost crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; let drain.
2. Add onion to skillet with bacon grease. Cook, stirring, until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Add pumpkin, sage, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add stock and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to mediumlow, and simmer until pumpkin is soft and sauce has thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Season with pepper.
3. Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, and add to skillet. Add the bacon and Parmesan, and toss to combine. Divide among bowls. Serve with Parmesan on the side, and garnish with pepitas.