[Sca-cooks] Preserving pumpkin

[Dragon]

Jennifer Carlson wrote:

>Stefan asked how to preserve pumpkin.
>
>A traditional method is to cut the thing up, thread the pieces on 
>string, and hang to dry.
>
>When Diarmaid and I announced our engagement, my great Aunt Cammie 
>sat us down so she could pass on "the old family pumpkin pie" secret:
>
>Select a good, ripe pumpkin
>The night before making your pie, wash the pumpkin and cut it into 
>chunks, and put the pieces in a bowl and set it in the refrigerator.
>The next morning, after your husband goes to work, throw the pieces 
>out and use canned pumpkin.
>
>
>My mother once - ONCE - stewed down a fresh pumpkin to make pie.  It 
>took a lot of time, and I don't recall that had much of a different 
>taste from one made with canned pumpkin.  I'm quite content to let 
>the nice people at Libby prep my pumpkin for me.
>
>We don't eat it just for dessert.  I put very little sugar in it, 
>and so the tongue registers it as a little more on the "vegetable 
>dish" than "dessert" range of the taste scale.  We'll eat it for 
>breakfast, if we have it on hand.
>
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Here are the two real secrets to making incredible pumpkin pie...

Don't use those crappy Halloween pumpkins. Use a good flavorful 
orange or red-fleshed winter squash that has a higher sugar content. 
Golden Nugget, Red Kuri, even acorn or butternut squash make far 
better "pumpkin pie" than those nasty, watery pumpkins. If you insist 
on using something called a pumpkin, get the small ones called "pie 
pumpkins" or "sugar pumpkins", they are much better than the big ones.

Roast the squash, don't boil or stew it. Cut it in half, remove the 
seeds, place cut side down on a sheet pan and cook at 400 F until 
tender (about 45 minutes to an hour should do it). Scoop the meat out 
and puree in the food processor. It's not hard and not labor intensive.

You will NEVER go back to canned pumpkin if you do this.

Dragon

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  Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
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