Halloween: Pumpkin Recipe to Celebrate the Day of the Witches | Press

October 2018 – Candy, costumes, tricks, and fun… Halloween is coming!

Originally called Samhain, the Celtic celebration marked the beginning of winter according to the Gregorian calendar adopted in the 16th century. Its popularization came after the Irish arrived in the United States, when Americans adopted masks and created a practice similar to today’s “trick or treat.”

The celebration has spread worldwide and, on October 31, thousands of fans in Brazil celebrate the day with friends or by telling family stories. To make the gathering even more delicious, Lisiane Miura, chef and nutritionist at the Umami Committee, the organization responsible for disseminating the fifth taste, suggests a special recipe: Chia Ravioli with Pumpkin. “Bet on pumpkin dishes! Besides being very nutritious, it has become one of the main symbols of Halloween. A traditional example is the illuminated pumpkin decoration, popularly known as a jack-o’-lantern,” says Lisiane. Check out the recipe:

Chia Ravioli with Pumpkin

Ingredients:

• 2 medium pieces of pumpkin (180 g)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (80 ml)
• 1 tbsp chia (10 g)
• ½ cup yam (taro) flour (80 g)
• 1/3 cup whole-grain rice flour (40 g)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (15 ml)
• 1 tsp salt (5 g), plus extra to season the pumpkin

Method

1. Place the pumpkin in a saucepan, cover with water, and cook for 20–25 minutes, until tender. Drain and mash with a fork, seasoning with a little salt.
2. Warm the coconut milk until just lukewarm. Turn off the heat, add the chia, and let it hydrate for a few minutes.
3. In a bowl, add the flours, coconut oil, and salt. Add the chia–coconut milk mixture and knead well until a homogeneous dough forms.
4. Dust the counter with a little rice flour. Open the dough inside a plastic bag, using a rolling pin to form a thin rectangle.
5. Spoon small mounds of the pumpkin filling, leaving about two fingers’ width between them. Fold the dough over carefully—the dough is delicate. Cut the ravioli and press the edges with a fork to seal well.
6. In a large pot of boiling water, gently drop in the ravioli to cook. When they rise to the surface, remove carefully with a slotted spoon. Serve hot with the sauce of your choice.

Recipe from the book “Detox Dia a Dia,” by Astrid Pfeiffer, Alaúde Publishing.

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the persistence of taste for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br and follow on facebook.com/ogostoumami and instagram.com/ogostoumami.