Before we get to today’s post, let’s give a shout out to Kristy at Gastronomical Sovereigntyfor hosting her weekly link up parties. Be sure to head over to her place and see what goodies people are cooking up with their local produce.
Now on with the show.
It’s been weeks. Literally, four weeks now.
Let’s back up.
Very shortly (days even) after I mocked all things pumpkin, I received my first ever pumpkin in my CSA share.
Yep, karma’s a bitch, and I was pretty much at a loss on how to handle my pumpkin. I knew I wanted to cook it and eat it, but that’s about it.
Complete honesty now, I was a little intimidated by the pumpkin since the real deal is most definitely not the same thing as picking up a can in the grocery store, which I’ve never done before either…and everyone in the blog world gasps and cries in outrage, “No pumpkin. What is wrong with her?”
Then there are some of you where cooking a pumpkin from scratch is no big deal. I’m sure you can do it with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back, but for me, this is like climbing Mount Everest, like swimming the English Channel or like taming the beast.
Well you can consider my mountain climbed (♫“ain’t no mountain high enough”♫), the channel swum ( ♪”ain’t no river wide enough” ♪) and my beast tamed because I took my pumpkin down this weekend, and it felt good. From here on out, you can call me Betty Fucking Crocker. No scratch that, I don’t want to be associated with a bunch of processed crap. Sorry Betty.
With my butcher’s knife in hand, I cut that bastard in two, and then I scooped out his fleshy innards and fed them to my garbage disposal (oh, to have a real compost monster). I also tossed the seeds into a colander because I’ve heard they’re the best part. Plus, I like to think of myself as an ethical hunter using every morsel of my kill. Well, except the innards and ultimately the skin, but whatever; just go with it.
Holy crap, my sink is deep; this colander is pretty big, and judging by this picture, you’d never know it. Fact: my sink is deep enough to hide stacks of dirty dishes. Another fact: this would never happen because they’re an assault to my sense of order. The mere thought of dirty dishes piled up high makes me all twitchy, and not in a good way.
I digress (no shock there), I was really surprised by how easy and painless (for me, not the pumpkin) it was to pull out the guts. I must have a secret talent for scooping pumpkin innards, or my CSA pumpkin was a cooking squash specifically designed to have more flesh and less stringy stuff, or perhaps I scored the pumpkin flesh with a sharp knife before tearing out the entrails. I’m going with I’m magically skilled because hell, I like having hidden talents. Now if only I could unearth the rest.
After hollowing these suckers out, I tossed them face down in a large casserole dish with a half-inch of water and stuck them in a 400 degree oven for only thirty minutes. The short cook time accounts for the fact I was working with a smallish pumpkin, which I also cut into quarters, and my oven is bad ass. Convection rocks!
To tell if it was done, I stabbed my pumpkin with a fork, and it easily punctured the skin, which by this time was starting to look all dimpled and wrinkled. I could insert an old age joke here, but karma has already caught up with me once, and I don’t want it to happen again. I removed my pumpkin parts from the oven and since I’m not a fan of third degree burns, I let them cool for at least thirty minutes before moving onto the next stage.
Once the pumpkin pieces had cooled to a desirable handling temperature, I scooped out the flesh and in some cases, just peeled the skin off in huge chunks. The texture of the pumpkin reminded me of mangos: thick and stringy (this sounds so appealing), and I deposited the flesh right into my food processor.
I let it run in the food processor for a good number of minutes, on high, until it was smooth and creamy (now that’s better). At this point in the process, I decided to taste the puree, and if I’m being honest, it was bland. It tasted nothing like pumpkin pie at all ( 😉 ) ; I was disappointed. Still, I forged ahead.
I read that pumpkins are full of water and need to be drained so I put on my MacGyver hat and got to work. Using a fine mesh strainer, set delicately on top of my ginormous four cup measuring cup, I lined the strainer with a wet paper towel and then I dumped my pumpkin puree on top, allowing the liquid to work its way out of my puree. I let this contraption sit on the counter for a couple of hours, occasionally mixing the puree with a spoon, and when it was all said and done, I was left with over a cup of “pumpkin juice.” Any ideas on what to do with the excess liquid? Seriously, all things Harry Potter came up when I googled it.
I was also left with roughly three cups of puree. Cue music…”Celebrate good times, Come on! Let’s celebrate. There’s a party going on right here a celebration to last throughout the years. So bring your good times and your laughter too we’re gonna celebrate your party with you!”
I cannot believe after four long and trauma filled weeks of my pumpkin mocking me, he has been transformed. Much like that horrific reality show, The Swan, I have taken a rough and tumble pumpkin and altered him for the better. The end result is…drum roll please….baby food.
Yes after several hours, albeit mostly hands-free hours, I made baby food. Too bad, I have no babies which to feed my mushy orange puree.
All jokes aside, I used two-thirds of my puree in a Coconut Pumpkin Soup which was out of this world delicious. More on that later.
Have you ever made pumpkin puree from scratch? Would you? Did you feel like the king of the world when you were done? Pumpkins aside, what did you make this weekend, and what’s your favorite thing to make from scratch?
I’ve never made pumpkin puree from scratch, but this recipe makes me wanna change that asap 🙂
It was much easier than I would have originally thought.
Congratulations on conquering another item on someone’s bucket list!
I don’t know if it’s attributable to different pumpkin varieties or to different cooking methods, but when I do my pumpkins I cut them in half and stick em face down in the water. My roasted pumpkin comes out looking like your finished product without the food processor and draining steps. Then again, I have not conquered my convection oven. Everything I have made using the convect cook option takes longer than regular and doesn’t turn out like it should. The only successful convection baking I’ve done is frozen pretzels in the concession stand, and I don’t want to eat those. Talk about processed!
I must take issue with you dissin’ my girl, Betty. In the 1950 Betty Crocker New Picture Cookbook (a fun read, seriously!) there’s even a recipe for salsify. If I ever get that (it’s kinda like a parsnip) in my farm share I will know what to do.
This weekend I made Chicken Cider Stew, from Alanna’s blog Kitchen Parade.
I love the convection oven; it cooks everything significantly faster for me, but it has taken me a while to adjust.
That’s interesting about the pumpkin. I wonder if I roast it longer, if I can skip the food processor and draining steps. I’ll have to try that next time (if there ever is a next time).
I knew someone would take issue with me knocking Ms. Betty. I would guess her 1950’s cookbook is probably really good and leaps and bounds better than how her name is marketed now. Even poor Betty might take issue with what’s in her cakes today. 🙂
Chicken Cider Soup…that sounds really delicious and perfect for today (cold and rainy). I will have to check it out!
Had to visit your not-a-fan-of-pumpkin post, since I made (another) one of my own today (okay, well, casually mentioned my dislike of pumpkin, and already catching flak for it!). So nope, don’t think I’d do much from-scratch work involving pumpkin. I mean, I bet it’s BETTER than the canned, but I’m still not excited enough to put in any work. Unless I got a free one. Maybe. And then could add coconut and spice to it. Lots of spice. To hide the pumpkin.
I had no idea another non-pumpkin lover was out there. I’m so happy we’ve finally found one another. I whole heartedly support your non-pumpkin loving ways. I’m convinced the only reason the soup was good was because all of the other things in it (coconut, ginger, jalepeno).
Ooo, yep, ginger, jalapenos and coconut can make anything delicious. Even…pumpkin. I’m happy to find a fellow un-pumpkin fan too 😀
I’ve never made pumpkin puree from scratch. I do like pumpkin but Fall is all about butternut squash for me. I recently made BNS bisque and I’ve been craving it every day since. SO GOOD.
Very nice. I got a butternut squash in my CSA share too, so that’s next on my list of produce to tackle. 🙂
Ah! You succumbed 😛 Any future baked goods that you plan on making?
I would imagine that you could make oatmeal with that pumpkin juice in place of water, add some milk for creaminess, stevia/maple syrup/honey/sugar for sweetness, pumpkin spice for flavor, and granola for crunchiness…. Hmm… Sounds good 🙂
I used the majority of my puree in the coconut pumkpin soup, but I still have about a cup left. Maybe a baked good would be in order… 🙂 Great suggestions.
I’m Australian, we use pumpkin all the time.
If you add a tiny bit of oil and salt and no water to your roasting pan there is no need to drain, my family loves it served just like that!
Or boil it like potatoes (stock, cube ginger can of coconut cream, blitz =heavenly soup).
In Australia we never turn it into sweet pie, every few years I channel my Canadian roots and give it a go but my family always turns up their noses at it, more for me!
I bet you can roast it with one hand tied behind your back and your eye closed too. 😉
Great info on the oil and salt; skipping the MacGyver step would be much simpler.
I did actually make a coconut pumpkin soup which had cream, ginger and jalepenos. You are right; it was heavenly.
Thanks for stopping by!
i’m so proud of you!!! it’s funny how one person’s basic is another person’s advanced. you did splendidly! like Shannon, i’ve never bothered to drain my puree because i don’t use water in the pan but i can see the difference – yours looks much thicker 🙂
favorite thing to make from scratch: gnocchi. or pasta. i received a pasta maker last year and while i don’t do it too often, ain’t nothing better than homemade pasta. or gnocchi. mmmm gnocchi.
thank you for sharing your post with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! I hope to see you again this week with more seasonal and fresh/real food posts 🙂 xo, kristy
Awww thanks. I was pretty damn pleased with myself too. I actually roasted a butternut squash yesterday because now I am a roasting queen and so I could make my own ravioli…without a pasta maker. It’ll just be me, some balls of dough and a lot of wine. Wish me luck.
On a side note, thank you for hosting these link up parties. I know it has to be a lot of work, and I really appreciate it.