We have always known that orange foods were good for us. Our mothers told us to eat our carrots -- they would make our eyes sharper.
It's true: The compounds that give many fruits and vegetables their orange, red or yellow color -- known as carotenoids, named after carrots -- are precursors of vitamin A, which is essential for normal growth and development, immune system function and vision. The addition of vitamin A precursors to some strains of rice has dramatically cut infant mortality and blindness in Asian countries where diets were very low in vitamin A.
One carotenoid you've likely heard of is beta-carotene, which is famously found in carrots. It's also in spinach, peaches, apricots and sweet potatoes. Other vitamin A precursor carotenoids include alpha-carotene (found in carrots, pumpkin, and red and yellow peppers) and cryptoxanthin (found in oranges, tangerines, peaches, nectarines and papayas). Lycopene, the carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color, is particularly effective at quenching the destructive potential of singlet oxygen.
In addition to what they do for our bodies, carotenoids are also essential for the survival and productivity of all photosynthetic organisms.
Photosynthesis, you may recall from biology class, is how plants use the energy from sunlight to join together carbon dioxide and water to make glucose. They then pack this glucose together and store it in the form of starch. It is this plant-produced starch that provides food for all animals.
We associate photosynthesis with green chlorophyll. I had no idea that orange, red and yellow carotenoids had anything to do with it. They perform two major functions in plants. They are accessory light-harvesting pigments (in the red, yellow, and orange range), extending the range of wavelengths over which light can drive photosynthesis, and they protect the chlorophyll pigments from the harmful photodestructive reaction, which occurs in the presence of oxygen.
These red, yellow, and orange carotenoids are in plant leaves all the time. They are not visible to us in the spring and summer because the color of the green chlorophyll hides them. But in the fall, when the temperature becomes cold enough to kill the chlorophyll, then we see the bright yellow, orange, and red colors of the leaves. These carotenoids were there all the time -- just hidden by the green chlorophyll.
So, at this time of year, when all manner of green things change color, what better way is there to honor carotenoids than with a recipe for The Great Pumpkin, a deep orange roasted squash filled with herbed barley, beans and chickpeas?
This magnificent browned pumpkin filled with the most intriguing aromas will show up even a huge roasted-to-perfection turkey. A small- to medium-size pumpkin is ideal for this dish. You can also use the small sugar pumpkins, which are very sweet and have a thicker flesh. Simply use two of them instead of one medium jack-o'-lantern type of pumpkin.
Orange carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables retain their color and nutrients well during cooking. Juices from the pumpkin add sweet complex flavors to the grain and bean filling.
The Great Pumpkin
A Deep Orange Pumpkin Roasted with Herbed Barley, Beans and Chickpeas
Makes about 12 servings
1 fresh pumpkin, about 10 inches in diameter (see Note 1)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, chopped
4 tablespoons sesame oil (see Note 2)
3 cups quick-cooking barley
2 cans chicken stock or canned chicken broth
3 cups water
It's true: The compounds that give many fruits and vegetables their orange, red or yellow color -- known as carotenoids, named after carrots -- are precursors of vitamin A, which is essential for normal growth and development, immune system function and vision. The addition of vitamin A precursors to some strains of rice has dramatically cut infant mortality and blindness in Asian countries where diets were very low in vitamin A.
One carotenoid you've likely heard of is beta-carotene, which is famously found in carrots. It's also in spinach, peaches, apricots and sweet potatoes. Other vitamin A precursor carotenoids include alpha-carotene (found in carrots, pumpkin, and red and yellow peppers) and cryptoxanthin (found in oranges, tangerines, peaches, nectarines and papayas). Lycopene, the carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color, is particularly effective at quenching the destructive potential of singlet oxygen.
In addition to what they do for our bodies, carotenoids are also essential for the survival and productivity of all photosynthetic organisms.
Photosynthesis, you may recall from biology class, is how plants use the energy from sunlight to join together carbon dioxide and water to make glucose. They then pack this glucose together and store it in the form of starch. It is this plant-produced starch that provides food for all animals.
We associate photosynthesis with green chlorophyll. I had no idea that orange, red and yellow carotenoids had anything to do with it. They perform two major functions in plants. They are accessory light-harvesting pigments (in the red, yellow, and orange range), extending the range of wavelengths over which light can drive photosynthesis, and they protect the chlorophyll pigments from the harmful photodestructive reaction, which occurs in the presence of oxygen.
These red, yellow, and orange carotenoids are in plant leaves all the time. They are not visible to us in the spring and summer because the color of the green chlorophyll hides them. But in the fall, when the temperature becomes cold enough to kill the chlorophyll, then we see the bright yellow, orange, and red colors of the leaves. These carotenoids were there all the time -- just hidden by the green chlorophyll.
So, at this time of year, when all manner of green things change color, what better way is there to honor carotenoids than with a recipe for The Great Pumpkin, a deep orange roasted squash filled with herbed barley, beans and chickpeas?
This magnificent browned pumpkin filled with the most intriguing aromas will show up even a huge roasted-to-perfection turkey. A small- to medium-size pumpkin is ideal for this dish. You can also use the small sugar pumpkins, which are very sweet and have a thicker flesh. Simply use two of them instead of one medium jack-o'-lantern type of pumpkin.
Orange carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables retain their color and nutrients well during cooking. Juices from the pumpkin add sweet complex flavors to the grain and bean filling.
The Great Pumpkin
A Deep Orange Pumpkin Roasted with Herbed Barley, Beans and Chickpeas
Makes about 12 servings
1 fresh pumpkin, about 10 inches in diameter (see Note 1)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, chopped
4 tablespoons sesame oil (see Note 2)
3 cups quick-cooking barley
2 cans chicken stock or canned chicken broth
3 cups water
