The best of October cuisine | Eurohike HikingBlog

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Pumpkin pleasure: an autumn feast

But before we tuck in, we first want to find out why the pumpkin is so healthy. In fact, the pumpkin is a particularly low-calorie, healthy food... but what exactly is the pumpkin? At least not pure vegetables. Whether nutmeg squash, butternut squash, Hokkaido squash or spaghetti squash, from a botanical point of view, the pumpkin belongs to the fruit vegetable family. There are now 800 different types of pumpkin, which are among the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Pumpkins not only provide plenty of taste, but also numerous vitamins and minerals, support the body's defences and have an antioxidant effect. A real protective shield for our health! Pumpkin growing areas can be found in numerous regions across Europe. The best way to experience this is by foot on an individual hiking tour. From Bavaria in southern Germany or Rhineland-Palatinate in central Germany, Styria in Austria, along the Danube in Lower Austria or in northern Italy - a wonderful feast for the palate in autumn is guaranteed!

Vegan Hokkaido soup

An absolute classic among the warm dishes in autumn is the classic pumpkin soup. The aromatic Hokkaido pumpkin is the perfect basis for conjuring up a delicious and healthy soup. This type of pumpkin is low in water but high in healthy nutrients. There are already many recipes for pumpkin soups - we have decided on one that is guaranteed to suit all tastes - very simple, super tasty and vegan!

Ingredients for 3 to 4 servings:

1 medium-sized Hokkaido pumpkin, a piece of ginger, coconut oil, salt, pepper, nutmeg powder, if wanted some soup spices, pumpkin seeds

Preparation:

Wash the Hokkaido pumpkin, cut it into small cubes and fry in a saucepan with a little coconut oil and a piece of ginger. Now cover the pumpkin with enough water that all the cubes are in the water. Add a little salt and let it boil. Try with a fork to see if the pumpkin pieces are soft. As soon as the pumpkin is cooked and soft, puree with a hand blender (attention: take out the piece of ginger first!). Now season with a pinch of nutmeg and add other spices as required, such as pepper or, for a more intense taste, add some vegan soup spices. All that's left to do is taste, garnish with pumpkin seeds and enjoy!

Recipe for pumpkin soup with hokkaido pumpkin

Pumpkin with a difference: healthy pumpkin cookies

Enjoy sweet pumpkin? We'll show you how to do that now. Our tasty pumpkin cookies are a particularly sweet and healthy alternative to conventional biscuits. You can find out what ingredients you need and how to prepare them here.

Ingredients for about 12 to 15 cookies:

1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin, 200g oats, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 200g grated walnuts, 100g grated almonds, a handful of raisins, 8 large dates for sweetening, cinnamon, approx. 150ml water, other spices such as ginger powder, turmeric powder, vanilla, etc. as you like.

Preparation:

Wash the pumpkin, cut it into small cubes and bake in the oven at 180 degrees until soft. At the same time, puree the dates with some water in a mixer to make a puree. Mix all the dry ingredients. Puree the pumpkin and add to the dry ingredients alongside the date puree. Depending on how creamy the dough is, add a little more water. However, the dough should not become too runny and should be tough enough so you can shape beautiful cookies out of it with slightly moistened hands. Now roll small balls, place them on the baking sheet with baking paper and flatten them into a cookie. Bake at 180 degrees top/bottom heat for about 28 to 30 minutes, allow to cool and enjoy. If you like, you can top the cookies with almond butter, peanut butter, jam or honey. Our tip: the cookies can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe for pumpkin cookies with hokkaido

Pumpkin patties: Round and tasty

Have you ever tried pumpkin patties? In this recipe we only use high-quality ingredients that are guaranteed to be available in local supermarkets. The Hokkaido pumpkin forms the basis for the delicious patties – which you can serve on an autumn salad, with or without a dip, or with quinoa.

Ingredients for about 10 to 12 patties:

300g Hokkaido pumpkin, 200g carrots, 80g oat flakes, 2 tablespoons peeled hempseeds (or chia seeds), 2 eggs, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg powder

Preparation:

Wash the Hokkaido pumpkin and cook it in the oven at 180 degrees until soft and then puree to a pulp (alternatively, it can also be boiled in a pot with water until soft). Now reduce the temperature in the oven to 150 degrees. Wash and grate the carrots. Chop the parsley and sauté with the carrots, some salt, pepper, some water and, if necessary, some chilli until the water has boiled off completely. Now mix the pumpkin mash with the steamed carrot vegetables, the oat flakes, the hempseeds (or chia seeds) and two eggs to form a solid mass. Season with salt and pepper and a little nutmeg powder. If the mixture is too runny, just thicken it with some oat flakes. Shape small patties with your hands, fry them in a pan with a little oil and then place in the oven at 150 degrees for 20 minutes. Bon Appetit!

Recipe for pumpkin fritters with hokkaido pumpkin

Our conclusion:

Dishes with pumpkin – whether sweet or savoury – are simply delicious! In addition, they are particularly healthy, support our immune system and fill you up. And that's exactly how it is all the better to explore nature by foot – on a hiking holiday on the most beautiful hiking paths across Europe!