Scottsdale Culinary Institute

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“It’s the entrance to winter,” says Anthony Damiano, instructor at the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Culinary Institute. “It begins the season.”Although pumpkins have been grown for thousands of years in many countries, Americans tend to think of them as our own. Native American Indians cultivated them and other squashes and shared the gift with early European settlers.In fact, pumpkin has become trendy — it’s being eaten all year.“We’re seeing a big surge, even in Italy where they would never have served pumpkin risotto,” says Damiano. “I like the smoothness of it,” he says of pumpkin, which can be sauteed, roasted and boiled. It can be cooked and mashed with Yukon gold potatoes.There is a variety of ways to prepare fresh pumpkin for use in pies, pancakes and soups.Once cooked and cooled just enough to handle, the pumpkin can be peeled, and the pulp turned to puree in a food processor or mashed by hand. Drain mashed pumpkin in a sieve for 20 minutes to remove excess liquid.Store it in the refrigerator up to five days or freeze for up to six months.Steaming: Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds and stringy fiber. Cut pumpkin into 1 and one-half to 2-inch cubes. Place - more available