With Halloween right around the corner and all you have is a lot of left over pumpkin with no idea of what to use it for or make out of it, here are four things you can make out of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Hummus

Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 50 minutes, Serves: 8-9 people

Ingredients:

• 1 Small to medium pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Garlic clove peeled
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp tahini paste
• 450g Can of chickpeas
• 1 Red pepper sliced
• 1 Green pepper sliced
• Pinch of salt
• Chips of your choice to serve

Method:

1. Make sure your pumpkin is clean on the outside and cut the top of the pumpkin off, remove the the seeds and scoop the flesh out of the pumpkin.
2. Heat your oven to 200C, cut your pumpkin flesh into pieces and put it on a roasting tin add your garlic, pour your olive oil and sprinkle your salt over the pumpkin pieces and place it in the oven on the middle shelf for 45 minutes.
3. Take your pumpkin out the oven and place it in a food processer with the leftover remaining juice from the roasting tin and add your lemon juice, tahini paste and chickpeas and blend it into a paste.
4. Take your hummus out the food processer and serve it with your sliced peppers and chips of your choice.

Pumpkin Muffins

Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes, Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 220g Plain flour
• 1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
• 2 Tsp of pumpkin spice or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 50g Light brown sugar (soft)
• 200g Pumpkin puree from a can
• 2 Large eggs
• 125g Salted butter (melted)

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 200C, place your muffin cases into a 12 tray muffin tin.
2. In a mixing bowl add your flour, baking powder, cinnamon/pumpkin spice and both sugars.
3. In a separate bowl whisk your pumpkin puree and eggs together and add the mixture into your dry ingredients with the melted butter and whisk it together until its well combined.
4. Place your mixture into your muffin cases and place them on the middle shelf in the oven for around 15 minutes until you can place a skewer or toothpick inside the middle of the muffin until it comes out clean.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 40 Minutes, Serves: 4-5 people

Ingredients:

• 350g Short pasta or penne
• 1 Small onion finely chopped
• 1 Garlic clove crushed
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp mascarpone
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 500g Pumpkin peeled and cut into 4cm cubes
• 75ml Whole milk
• 40g Grated parmesan

Method:

1. In a large pan place onto the cooker on medium heat and put your olive oil in and place your finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions until they are softened, add your garlic and cook for one more minute.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
3. Place a pan of water and boil it on the cooker and place you pumpkin cubes into it and cook until they are tender , drain your pumpkin once tender and put it in a food processer and add your 50ml milk and the onion and garlic mixture until its smooth gradually adding more milk until he mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. In a large frying pan add your tomato puree and mascarpone and add your processer mixture and let it simmer on a low heat.
5. Cook your pasta to the instructions on the packet and then drain well once cooked, toss the cooked pasta in to the mixture and add some parmesan and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie

Prep time: 45 minutes, Cook time: 1 hour and 40 minutes, serves: 8-9

Ingredients:

• 750g Pumpkin peeled, deseeded and cut into medium chunks
• 350g Sweet shortcrust pastry
• 1 Tbsp plain flour for dusting
• 140g Caster sugar
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 1/2 Tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• 2 Small eggs beaten
• 25g Melted butter
• 175ml Milk
• 1 Tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1. In a large saucepan fill with water and bring to the boil place your pumpkin into it and let it simmer for around 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender, once tender drain the pumpkin and allow to cool.
2. Heat your oven to 180C, roll out your shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface and place it into a tart tin. Chill the pastry in the fridge for 15 minutes, line your pastry with a parchment paper and place baking beans in them and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and the parchment paper and further cook for ten more minutes. Once cooked remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
3. Increase your oven heat to 220C, push your cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl place your sugar, salt, nutmeg, half the cinnamon, eggs, melted butter and milk and mix well. Add the mixture into the pumpkin puree and stir well until combined, pour the mixture into the pastry tin tart and place in the oven and cook for ten minutes.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C continue to bake for 35-45 minutes until the filling is set.
5. Remove the pumpkin pie from the oven and leave to cool and once its cooled remove the pie from the tin.
6. Mix the remaining cinnamon and icing sugar and dust it over the pie and enjoy.