I can't believe it's that time of year again. Seems as though I just packed up the Christmas decor and now it's back in the stores. What happened to fall? We seem to get so excited about Christmas that we forget to stop and enjoy the changing of the seasons. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. I love the crispness is the air, the multitude of colors in the trees, the crunch of the fallen leaves, and baking. Yup, I'm really not fond of being cold so I have an excuse to bake daily...to keep the house warm! Anyway, I went to the local nursery to shop for pumpkins for Halloween because they always have the best selection and I love funky.
Just look at all the pumpkins, gourds and squash (well, technically pumpkin is a squash). They had such a vast variety that the girl working there couldn't name them all!
I started researching the different varieties of pumpkin. It's amazing how many there are! I'll try to enlighten you with each post for the next 30 days. But for now, we'll start with your average field pumpkin. You know, the one you carve into a jack-o-lantern. Everywhere I read that these are not really good for cooking because they have very little flesh pulp, whatever you call it. But I have to say, these are the pumpkins I grew up on. My mom never used canned pumpkin. She always took the jack-o-lantern the day after Halloween and peeled it, cut it into chunks and then cooked it in the pressure cooker. Wow, that's a lot of work! I don't do all that. I look for the easiest route, even if it means I have to explore my way through.
Okay, we start with a pumpkin. Just a typical, average size field pumpkin. You'll need a large sharp knife for the next step.
On a sturdy surface, stab your pumpkin but don't pull the knife out. Pull the knife down, cutting through the side of the pumpkin and continuing around until you reach the beginning of your cut. Pull the knife out carefully and set aside. Now you can just reach in and pull the pumpkin apart into 2 halves.
In this next step use a sturdy spoon. I like a large metal spoon like you would use to stir the pot. Using your spoon sideways, scoop out the seeds and that stringy mess. Yes, you guessed it. This is my least favorite part. If you'd like you can pull the seeds away from all the goop, thoroughly rinse them and roast them in the oven. I don't like to waste anything. I even compost the goop!
Now, like I said earlier, my mom taught me to cut it into chunks and peel it, but we're not doing that. No, it's so much easier now. Get out your roasting pan and ass about a cup of water and set one of the halves in the pan skin side down. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes in a 350F oven. The pumpkin is done when the tip of your spoon can go into very easily. Take it out and let it set for about 10 minutes to cool down some.
After it's cool enough that the steam isn't come off of it any more, use your spoon to scoop out the pumpkin, being careful not to pierce the skin. Place it in a colander or wire mesh strainer over a bowl and let it set while you cook the other half. It's very important to let it drain, so if you'd like you can put the bowl/strainer full of pumpkin in the fridge overnight.
At this point, my mom would puree the pumpkin in the food processor. If you'd like to do that now, you are more than welcome too. I, however, am cheating once again. My family loves pumpkin so much that it's a waste of time for me to puree, measure 2 cups and package it in freezer bags. I take the pumpkin as it is after squeezing as much water out as I possibly can and fill up those freezer bags and put it right into the freezer. Please note that I never put warm pumpkin into my freezer. It could actually spoil the food you already have in there.
If you would like, you can cook the pumpkin in the microwave.
Just cut it into smaller pieces and place in a glass baking dish with a lid.
Add about 1/4 cup of water, cover with a lid and place in microwave.
Microwave on high for 7 minutes or until tender.
Okay, now you know how to cook a pumpkin. Tomorrow I'll show you what to use it in.
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