Thanksgiving in March?

Ever wonder what to do with that random can of pumpkin that’s stuck in the back of your pantry? Bon Appetit [my fave food mag] did a piece last fall where they featured recipes [none of which were pumpkin pie!] from chefs across the country on how they would use the canned gourd. I have been meaning to make this pumpkin shrimp curry for a while now, even with the rising temps outside. I made a few modifications, substituting pan-cooked chicken for the shrimp, cooking the cilantro w/ the stew and serving it with quinoa. The recipe also calls for 1 cup of cooked, diced butternut squash, but doesn’t include steps for prep. An easy route would be to cook the diced squash in 2 tblspn of olive oil for 25 min @ 425 F.

I found the curry to be full of flavor and I can’t wait to try this w/ shrimp! However, be forewarned… using a can of pumpkin doesn’t mean cutting the cooking time in half. The entire process took longer than I had anticipated but it was well worth it. In terms of the spice factor, the only real heat I experienced were the waves from a hot oven and several sizzling pans—meaning a nice big squirt of sriracha on top! GIVE THANKS!!

--T