In front of the Frey Vineyards winery this fall were several pumpkins lined up in a row upon which the oak trees settled their orange-hued leaves.  The pumpkins were just harvested from the vineyard gardens and that scene inspired this tasty Thanksgiving side dish.

Pumpkins are usually used for pies in the U.S.  But the humble pumpkin is a winter squash after all and certainly can be prepared as such.  So after some experimentation I came up with this dish in which the texture and taste of this famed North American squash is newly revealed in sweet & spicy tenderness.  Serve it as a side dish with your next Thanksgiving dinner!

Serves 6 to 8

There are 2 steps for preparing the pumpkin.  It’s first cooked in an oven, then glazed in a sauté pan.  For vegans, coconut oil may be used instead of butter.

For the Pumpkin in the Oven:
1 medium pie pumpkin of about 4 lbs.
½ cup Frey Gewurztraminer
6 whole cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
  
For the Pumpkin in the Sauté Pan:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
½ cup Frey Gewurztraminer
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

For the Maple Walnut Garnish:
1 cup walnut pieces (do not chop)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pumpkin in the Oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.  Lay the pumpkin halves face down on a cutting board.  Cut off the skin with a knife, slicing downward and rotating as needed.  Cut up the skinned pumpkin halves to ½ inch chunks.  Spread out the chunks onto a baking dish.  Toss on the cinnamon sticks.  Before sprinkling on the cardamom, first crush the pods using a knife held flat against a cutting board.  Now drizzle on the ½ cup Frey Gewurztraminer.  Add the maple syrup and the unsalted butter or coconut oil.  Mix the ingredients together a bit and spread out across the baking dish.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.  Stir about every 15 minutes.  Pumpkin chunks will be al dente.

Walnut Garnish
While the pumpkin is baking, toast the maple walnuts for the garnish.  In a smaller baking dish throw in the non-chopped walnut pieces and add the maple syrup and cinnamon.  Mix them up well so the walnuts get a real soaking from the syrup.  Then spread it all out on a baking dish and toast in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Set it aside.  It will be used as the garnish in the final step!

Pumpkin in the Sauté Pan
Fresh from the oven now, throw in the baked pumpkin chunks into a sauté pan of medium-high heat along with 2 of the 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil (you’ll be adding the other 2 tablespoons shortly).Pour in the Gewurztraminer and maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and cook down a minute, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil.  Swirl and stir till melted and incorporated into the sauce.  Then put the glazed pumpkin into your favorite serving bowl.  Garnish with the Maple Walnuts spread over the top.  Be sure to arrange the cinnamon sticks with an aesthetic and personalized touch!

(Recipe copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2011. All right reserved)