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Easy Green: Part II- Using Pumpkins
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(image courtesy of http://cullyskitchen.com/)
Last weekend was the culmination of all things festive for Halloween. Friday we carved our pumpkins and as planned, we saved seeds, the seed membranes, and loads of pumpkin flesh. I've spent the week experimenting with cooking and pureeing pumpkin to be used in recipes galore and because I wanted to share with you what worked best for me. I spent about two hours on Saturday researching what could be done with seed membranes & unfortunately, found little more than using them in composting along with the rinds. I had mentioned pickling rinds, but I do have to keep my sanity. I'm totally unprepared right now to delve into the world of canning and pickling. Maybe next summer? I'll keep you posted.
In the meantime, I've been making batches of pumpkin puree daily. On Monday, I tried steaming pumpkin with less than stellar results. I had read several cookbook recommendations to cube and peel pumpkin then throw it in a steamer basket over water and simmer/steam for 30 minutes. When I did this, I had to steam each batch for about double the time. I'm unsure of whether it was due to the pumpkin flesh being too firm or the cubes I cut too large, but it just didn't work that well for me. It also seemed to make my pumpkin very watery. After pureeing it in the blender, my pumpkin puree was just really watered down. I wasn't very pleased at all.
Roasting really worked well for me. I have two very large cast iron skillets that are a couple inches deep and I used them as my roasting dishes. Thanks grandma and ma! I love cooking using these skillets. They work for just.about.anything I have to cook or bake. One doesn't need a plethora of pots and pans if they've got a couple large cast iron skillets and a huge stock pot, with those you can make just about anything your heart desires!
I cubed my pumpkin into roughly 1 1/2 inch pieces and placed it all skin side down into my pans. I then added about a half inch of water and roasted pans of pumpkin for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. I checked each batch about half way in to see if water needed refilling and took each batch out when the pieces were uniformly translucent and fork tender. I then cooled each batch, peeled the cubes, and pureed them in the blender. I got a much thicker consistency and smoother texture with roasted pumpkin. It didn't seem to separate and get watery. Plus roasting does lend itself to a sweeter, more caramelized flavor in most fruits and vegetables.
Currently, I've got 64 ounces (or 8 cups) of pumpkin puree to use. I've spent a bit more time researching recipes to use my puree in and here are the contenders! I plan on making each and sharing my results with you here over the next two months, so keep checking back for my forays into recipes using fresh pumpkin. I've forgone doing a traditional pumpkin pie for now, because I want to highlight all the other ways you can use pumpkin! It's not just for desserts! Pumpkin has amazing beta carotene and vitamin A quantities, and it's got a terrific amount of fiber despite its sweetness. One would initially not think of pumpkin for being an incredibly healthy addition to their diet, but it's surprising low in calories compared to the amount of vitamins and fiber you get per serving. Check out the nutritional breakdown here.
We will be trying the following recipe ideas:
-Chipotle Pumpkin Soup
-Pumpkin Date Bread (Also, a fun Hot Buttered Rum recipe!)
-Pumpkin Oat Cookies
-Pumpkin Pancakes
-Creamy Curried Pumpkin Soup
-Pumpkin Baby Food (we've actually already tried this with stellar results! My 4 month old son is a huge fan of pumpkin already!)
I'll be reporting back with how each one works. In the meantime, I want to hear from you, how did your first forays into the world of reusing your pumpkins turn out? Did you buy pumpkins from local farmers & growers? Any tips? Feel free to share recipes or ideas too. In the meantime, coming soon in my Easy Green Series for Rural Living, we'll be talking about cloth diapering, more seasonal eating, and composting.
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