autumn – Cook and Drink

For the Love of Pumpkins

29 October 2026

Until January 17^th 2027 on view in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is the retrospective of Yayoi Kusama, one of the most influential and pioneering artists of the 20^th and 21^stcenturies. She was born in 1929 in Matsumoto (Japan). As a child she began painting pumpkins, dots, flowers and patterns. The dots transformed into her famous polka dots, the net of self-obliteration. Pumpkins continued to inspire her throughout her life. In 2015 she said in an interview “I love pumpkins because of their humorous form, warm feeling, and a human-like quality”.

This is a comprehensive video about Yayoi Kusama and this article provides background information about her pumpkins.

Eating pumpkins was perhaps not something Yayoi Kusama would do, but we simply love them. In autumn they bring warmth and comfort to the table. Both dishes are made with kabocha, the Japanese pumpkin.

Pumpkin Soup

A vegetarian soup made with kombu dashi, meaning its basis is made with dried kelp only. Soy sauce is added to the soup, bringing saltiness and umami, which combines very well with the exceptional sweetness of the pumpkin and the mirin. You could prepare the soup with an unpeeled kabocha, but we love the intense orange colour of the inside.

Pumpkin with Shrimps

The shrimps are marinated in sake for a few hours and then fried. The pumpkin is simmered in dashi with tentsuyu and mirin. The pan is deglazed with dashi, mirin and tentsuyu. The shrimps are coated with the sauce and served with three slices of kabocha and pickled cucumber.

Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha) with Shrimps ©cadwu

Pumpkins by Yayoi Kusama - Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama - Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Lobster Mushroom with Pasta

29 September 2021

The Lobster Mushroom is, obviously, bright reddish orange like the shell of cooked lobster. Not obvious is the fact that it’s actually a parasite that grows on certain mushrooms, making the host completely invisible and even changing its structure and taste. If you slice a lobster mushroom, you’ll see a beautiful red skin, as if the host mushroom is sprayed.
The taste of the Lobster Mushroom depends on the host. The ones we bought tasted fairly bland, but nevertheless the pasta turned out to be very tasteful and uplifting, partly due to the homemade tomato confit.

Wine Pairing

Enjoy a glass of white wine with your Lobster Mushrooms. We drank a Portuguese Vinho Verde, made by Cazas Novas. It comes with floral and fruit notes, has some acidity and a medium body with a good texture and a fresh aftertaste. In general you’re looking for a wine with freshness, minerality and some acidity. A wine that will go well with the intense flavors of the tomato confit and the creamy mushroom pasta.

What You Need

100 grams of Lobster Mushroom
Shallot
Garlic
Thyme
1 Bunch of Udon
10 Small Tomatoes (confit or roasted)
Stock (Chicken, Veal or Vegetable)
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

What You Do

Clean the Lobster Mushroom. This is a bit time consuming due to the structure of the mushroom. Slice the shallot and the garlic. Strip the leaves of the thyme. In a large iron skillet gently fry the shallot in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic. After a few minutes add the sliced lobster mushroom (chunks). Add the thyme. Leave on low heat. In parallel cook the udon for 10 minutes or until ready. Drain the udon but keep some of the cooking liquid. Add stock, just to have more liquid in the pan. Add the tomatoes, mix gently. Now add the udon to the pan, mix, making sure the tomatoes remain intact. Add cooking liquid to get the right consistency. Finish with a splash of excellent olive oil, black pepper and finely grated Parmesan Cheese.

Cook and Drink

The Art of Flavours

Tag: autumn