InSinkerator® Shares Top Tips For Reducing Pumpkin Waste

Whilst Halloween may seem like a distant memory, the pumpkin season stretches from October up until December in the UK, so we’re able to enjoy delicious, sweet, honeyed flesh pumpkins for much longer. Research found that in 2021, approximately 35 million pumpkins were purchased for Halloween in the UK. Almost half of those ended up in landfill, where they rot and release harmful methane gas into the atmosphere. With Google searches for ‘how to repurpose a pumpkin’ skyrocketing by 154 per cent in the past month, food waste experts at InSinkErator® share a delicious pumpkin recipe following the spooky season, with the aim of reducing food waste and encouraging us all to make changes for the future of the planet.

InSinkErator® has collaborated with Bettina Campolucci Bordi, a chef who specialises in sustainable cooking. After publishing three vegan cook books and hosting cooking retreats all over the world, Bettina has amassed a loyal following, including over 135,000 Instagram followers, who are kept up to date with tasty recipes and meal inspiration. As part of our collaboration with Bettina, she has created an easy-to-follow recipe, Pumpkin Gnocchi, for families to continue to enjoy pumpkins post Halloween.

Bettina comments - “I recently had an amazing InSinkErator waste disposal unit installed in my kitchen sink, as well as a water filter tap and an instant hot water tap. And it really has made a huge difference. Everything I peel or any food waste is simply put down the new hole in my kitchen sink, a button is pressed et voila, it all disappears. This was perfect for the recipe below, as I had a lot of potato skin and pumpkin skin to dispose of.  Plus, when I went to boil the potatoes, I had hot water on tap to get the process underway much more quickly. This pumpkin and potato gnocchi recipe is perfect for the upcoming winter months, a nice hearty meal for a cosy night in.”

Pumpkin Gnocchi – Recipe

Makes 4 servings

For the Pumpkin & Potato Gnocchi:

• 350g potatoes, peeled
• 320g pumpkin or butternut squash, deseeded and baked in oven @ 180ºC for 1 hour
• 125g 00 flour or semolina flour
• salt & pepper to taste
• glug of olive oil

3 tbsp pumpkin seed pesto, or more if you prefer (recipe below)

For the Pumpkin Seed Pesto (makes 1 jar):

• 250ml olive oil, plus extra for sealing
• 120g pumpkin seeds
• 1 bunch of basil (30g)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/2 tbsp each salt and black pepper

For the Topping:

• 2 macadamia nuts
• handful of fresh basil

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes until soft. Scrape out the soft inner of the cooked pumpkin.
2. Mash the pumpkin, potatoes and flour together, either with your hands, a masher or a ricer.
3. Add salt & pepper and turn out onto a flat surface. Knead for a couple of minutes until well combined and you have a consistency that is light and fluffy. Add more flour if it is too wet.
4. Gently roll into 4 long sausage like shapes, about 3cm in diameter.
5. Cut each long sausage into small square bite sized gnocchi shapes.
6. If you are not cooking them straight away, you can put these onto a tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle with a little bit of flour, loosely cover and put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
7. Make the pumpkin seed pesto by adding all ingredients to a blender and blitz until combined. The length of time to blitz depends on whether you prefer your pesto smooth or with some texture. Set 3 tbsp pesto aside (or more if you prefer) and decant the rest into a jar, cover with a layer of olive oil to preserve and keep in the fridge to use for other dishes.
8. When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a pot of salted water to the boil and gently drop in some gnocchi pieces, they are ready when you see them float to the surface, then remove from the water and drain. You may need to do this in a few batches to not overload the pot.
9. Once all the gnocchi is cooked, keep aside 1 ladle of the water it was cooked in, and then drain the final lot.
10. Heat some olive oil and a little bit of the pesto into a large frying pan. Add the gnocchi and the rest of the pesto that you are using, along with the gnocchi water that you have saved to loosen it up, and gently stir.
11. Serve up into bowls and finely grate the macadamia nuts over the top, and finish with fresh basil.

For more information on InSinkErator® and their product offering, please visit the InSinkErator® website at www.insinkerator.co.uk