By Albert Fenech 
One of my oldest recollections of an upbringing on the Mediterranean island of Malta is that of rows of large pumpkins strewn on the walls of all farmhouses, out to ripen, mellow and dry in the Mediterranean sunshine.
These were and remain a very popular, cheap household vegetable foodstuff used in a variety of different dishes and very much cherished by a population where food was hard to come by and had to be very much treasured.
Later, being brought up in England and much later as a temporary resident in Plumpton, Kent, and Horsted Keynes in West Sussex I just could not stand the sight of pumpkins being hollowed out, the contents thrown away and the pumpkin shells used as Halloween candle-lit decorations when the tradition caught on from the United States. 
Scraped out and candle-lit
For me, it was the vast destruction of a precious food resource!
All this came to mind when in Unknown Kent and Sussex, Editor and Author LYN FUNNELL published her own delicious recipe for Stuffed Pumpkin and Filo Tubes last mid-December and last month published her recipe for Pumpkin Wine.
These can be seen on: 
Stuffed Sussex Pumpkin and Filo Tubes – Unknown Kent & Sussex Magazine (unknownkentandsussex.co.uk)
Sussex Pumpkin Wine & Teabread – Unknown Kent & Sussex Magazine (unknownkentandsussex.co.uk)
Lynn’s preparations for stuffed Sussex pumpkins and filos
Needless to say our Mediterranean palate is vastly different in the use of the pumpkin!
Pumpkin Wine is totally unknown because we have an abundance of our own home-grown grapes and our own established wine producers, in addition to overseas grape exports.
At this time of the year, Lent, the 40 days of fasting and meat abstinence for those who still follow their religious beliefs, pumpkin minestrone is one of the main dishes, for various reasons. 
Delicious minestrone soup with pumpkins is easy to make, filling and highly nutritious. The minestrone ingredients are the usual vegetables of thinly sliced potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli and peeled and sliced pumpkins – all slowly boiled and allowed to simmer for any period of time and available when the stomach requires.
Accompanied by fresh Maltese and crunchy bread and its orange/yellowish colour exuded by the pumpkin, it takes its place as an all-time favourite.
The pumpkin soup vegetable ingredients may be used in Lent but additionally, outside of Lent, this minestrone soup may be accompanied by small cubes of sliced beef or pork fillets or sliced and savoury Maltese sausages and these highly embellish the taste.
Our traditional pumpkin pie may have a base of puff or short pastry as preferred. The major filling is obviously sliced and diced pumpkin accompanied by a finely diced onion and shredded garlic cloves.
To instil greater palate embellishment some par-boiled rice, sliced black olives, capers and sprinkled with mint, parsley, oregano, dried marjoram and basil – all finely diced.
For greater taste, to this mixture may be added canned tuna fish/sardines/anchovies which make the pie suitable for the Lenten period but also throughout the year.
The full recipe and cooking instructions may be obtained from an excellent guiding site by expert Maltese cook and writer Marlene Zammit; the pumpkin pie pictures are hers too:
https://www.amaltesemouthful.com/templates/blog/
ALBERT FENECH
