A pumpkin curry for Halloween

Has Halloween got bigger this year? Every pub I go to is decorated with fake cobwebs and giant plastic spiders. The traditional jack o'lantern, when it appears, looks positively tasteful compared to this lot, even if it is a bright orange colour, as bold as a can of Tango or a Sainsbury's carrier bag.

If you've bought a  pumpkin, either for carving or, like me, because you were carried away by the fact that you can buy such a big vegetable for just a pound or two, you may now be wondering what to do with it.

The traditional pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup can all too easily be a bit bland, especially if you are using those whoppers that are really grown for decoration. If you use an acorn squash, butternut squash or something like a Crown Prince pumpkin, you have a much better chance of good flavour and sweetness. But if you've got a fairly bland, run-of-the mill pumpkin, then I recommend pumpkin curry.

Sweat an onion or two for a couple of minutes, then add a couple of cloves of finely chopped garlic and a piece of finely chopped ginger. Add curry powder or other spices (maybe some turmeric, cumin and chilli) according to your taste. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the cubed pumpkin flesh with a tin of tomatoes and some vegetable stock. The pumpkin should be nearly covered in liquid. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Taste and adjust the spices as necessary.

At this point I like to thicken the sauce with some gram (chick pea) flour, which I have mixed to a paste with some water first. But you could use cornflour instead, or stir in some creamed coconut if you like coconut in your curry. Serve with rice. If you have any coriander leaves, a sprinkling of chopped leaves when you serve it will add colour and flavour.