The only limit is the cook's imagination': Diana Henry's guide to cooking with pumpkin

"Pumpkins and squash seem the perfect symbol of autumn and winter cooking. The cook has the job of getting through that tough skin before finding the tender flesh, and they give off their best only after slow cooking. But it's worth it. They are great culinary chameleons, able to soak up and marry well with ingredients as diverse as gruyere, chipotle, rosemary, sage and nutmeg. Their smoky, sweet flavours are just right for the season of turning leaves."

"Confusion reigns, however, about the difference between a pumpkin and a squash. It is a difficult area, and often local usage dictates what is a squash and what is a pumpkin. Both are members of the same family and, although the terms are often used interchangeably, pumpkins are usually the jack-o'-lantern shape we associate with Halloween, with thick, orange skins, while squashes can be smooth, warty, striped, stippled, their skins as green and shiny as old leather books, pale yellow, flame orange or delicate amber."

"Each year, I display them before I cook them: a row is lined up on the kitchen table; a great big rouge vif d'etampes, a French variety that looks like Cinderella's carriage and acts as a doorstop between kitchen and living room; little miniature ones with cute names such as munchkin, jack-be-little and baby boo sit among the candles on the mantelpiece."

Pumpkins and squashes require cutting through tough skins and slow cooking to produce tender flesh and concentrated, smoky-sweet flavors that suit autumn and winter. They absorb and complement diverse ingredients such as gruyere, chipotle, rosemary, sage and nutmeg. Local usage often determines whether a fruit is called a pumpkin or a squash, though pumpkins commonly have the classic jack-o'-lantern shape and thick orange skins. Squashes display huge variation: smooth, warty, striped, stippled skins in many colors and forms like acorns, turbans and serpentine shapes. Cooked flesh ranges from richly sweet and smooth to bland, so choosing preferred varieties matters. Crown prince and butternut are reliable options.

Read at www.theguardian.com