Oct. 11 — The season of the pumpkin

The star of Halloween has emerged as a centerpiece for decorations and delicious delights

Susan Schell / of the Herald

Fields are dotted with a round golden harvest, contrasting against their green vines and the damp, brown earth.

Pumpkins are one of the outstanding symbols of autumn and the promise that Halloween is just around the corner. Pretty soon the orange orbs will appear on porch steps with glowing grins and grimaces, beckoning children to knock on the front door.

There’s something special about visiting a pumpkin patch that draws children and adults alike, trudging along the uneven ground, searching for the perfect palette to carve into a jack-o’-lantern. The season inspired writer Charles Schulz to conjure up images of Linus sitting under a harvest moon waiting for the Great Pumpkin.

Aside from being the stars of Halloween, pumpkins have evolved over the years into intricate decorations adding colorful conversation pieces to sit-down dinners and parties. Hollowed-out shells can be used for dips, soups and condiment bowls. Enterprising chefs have found ways to transform the gourd-like flesh into appetizers, pasta, soups and salads.

Tom Pantley, executive chef of Toscanos Café and Wine Bar on Main Street, is getting into the spirit by whipping up some specialties for “Pumpkin Week” beginning Oct. 22. His creations include sautéed pumpkin: baked pumpkin cut into cubes and sautéed with olive oil, cayenne pepper and mint. Pumpkin seed salad will feature roasted pumpkin seeds in an orange vinaigrette with orange rind. Pumpkin ravioli blends pumpkin with ricotta cheese.

“Pumpkin blends really well with mild cheeses,” Pantley said. “The cheese lightens it up. Pumpkin can also be spiced up with red pepper and orange rind.”

Oct. 30 is “Scary Drink Night” serving up a variety of autumn-themed cold and hot drinks like spiced cider with rum. Whole books have been dedicated to mouth-watering recipes like “Whipped Pumpkin on Caramelized Onions and Spicy Walnuts,” or “Pumpkin Blossoms with Goat Cheese Filling.”

The roots of carving pumpkins at Halloween can be traced back to Ireland, where faces were cut into hollowed-out turnips and used for lanterns on dark nights, according to “The Halloween Encyclopedia” by Lisa Morton and “The Pagan Book of Halloween” by Gerina Dunwich.

The British use the word “jack-o’-lantern” to describe the eerie glow that often looms over swamps and marshes at twilight, caused by gases released by rotting vegetation and animals. Also called “will-o’-the-wisp” in America, people once believed it was the souls of sinners condemned to walk the earth through eternity.

A popular European legend attributes the name “Jack” to a drunkard who, after tricking the devil on Halloween night, was not allowed entrance into Heaven or Hell after his death. When the devil threw him a live chunk of coal from hell’s furnace, he placed it inside a turnip he was eating, and his restless spirit forever wanders the earth with his “jack-o’-lantern.”

Reach Reporter Susan Schell at 253-841-2481 ext. 315 or by e-mail at susan.schell@puyallupherald.com.