Giraumonade

Spicy pumpkin purée from the Antilles, named after the specific variety of pumpkin used there.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Tools

  • large frying pan or wok with lid
  • wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 3 T olive oil
  • 4 green onions, minced
  • 4 piments végétaux*  or  ½ red bell pepper, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 c pumpkin, peeled and diced
  • ½ c smoked tofu, diced (optional)
  • ¼ c parsley, minced
  • 2 T fresh thyme or 2 t dried
  • 1½ T colombo powder**  or  curry powder
  • 1 t salt
  • pepper
  • pinch of brown sugar
  • 2 T cashew cream

Directions

Heat the oil over medium heat, add onions, peppers, shallot, and garlic and sauté until golden, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the pumpkin, increase heat to high, and let sauté as you add the remaining ingredients except the cream. Stir well, making sure to scrape along the bottom to remove any cooked-on bits.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cream and continue cooking another 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so, gently mashing the pumpkin each time.

It’s ready when the pumpkin is very soft but retains a bit of texture.

Notes

Giraumonade is named for giraumon, a variety of pumpkin found in the Caribbean. It’s one of those recipes that has a million variations, so feel free to omit / substitute ingredients to your heart’s content. Giraumonade is often made with some kind of smoked meat – you can either use smoked tofu or just leave it out entirely.

* Piment végétal is a variety of sweet pepper found in many Caribbean dishes.

** Colombo powder is the French West Indies’ version of curry powder (though it’s originally from Sri Lanka and southern India). It contains cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, ginger, mustard, pepper, and turmeric.

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Giraumonade - spicy Caribbean pumpkin purée