Steamed Pumpkins...
The Native Americans introduced the pumpkin to the Pilgrims. Knowing a good thing when they saw it, the Pilgrims took the pumpkin to heart. They made pumpkin beer, pumpkin stew, pumpkin seed snacks, and probably pumpkin pie. These days, 99 percent of the pumpkins sold are used for decoration. Those who take the time to cook pumpkins are in for a delicious treat, like pumpkin pie
Selection: The flesh from smaller pumpkins will be sweeter and more tender than that of larger pumpkins. Choose a variety grown specifically for cooking, such as the sugar pumpkin.
Steamed Pumpkins
Ingredients
2 Small Pumpkins
Optional Seasonings - salt (use sparingly), nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and pepper.
Preparation: After selection, cut your pumpkin into large chunks. Remove seeds and strings. Steam pieces over boiling water in a heavy saucepan for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. Let cool. Scrape cooked pumpkin from skin. Purée in processor.
Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 373
Carbohydrates: 37 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 89 mg
Sodium: 338 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Fat: 22 g
(52 percent of calories from fat) An Alternative to steamed pumpkins is to bake pumpkins...
Baked Pumpkins...(my own recipe)
The smaller sugar pumpkin is well suited for baking and easier to work with. I recommend ensuring that it is ripe and of good character as you would with any member of the squash family (this is not a derrogatory comment about the squash family, some of them are my best friends, but let's be honest, it is hard to judge a squash because they are hard on the outside, but soft on the inside and therefore, hard to get to know, not unlike some people we have all met).
So start with two sugar pumpkins about 8 inches in diameter. Wash the outside thoroughly and then carefully cut all the way around the top as you would when carving a pumpkin for a jack o'lantern and remove the top and save. Next, scoop out the inside pulp leaving the flesh of the pumpkin intact, but removing the gooey pulp and seeds (save those seeds for roasting or drying).
Discard the pulp and set the seeds aside. Next, coat the inside of the pumpkin with your own mixture of butter, maple syrup, honey, or anything else that tickles your fancy.
Place the top back on the pumpkin, place on a shallow pan or cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the flesh becomes soft. You can check this by gently pushing a fork into the flesh. If it goes in easily, it is done, if not, cook longer.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds...
Roasted pumkin seeds are a great treat and good for you too! Just take the seeds you saved from your jack o' lantern, or pie pumpkin and carefully clean, removing all the pulp. I usually wash them under running water over a collander, so that if I do accidentally drop them, they won't go down the drain. They have a tendency to be slippery.
Once you have them clean, gently dab dry with a paper towel. Next comes the good part, you get to season them the way you want them. I shake them in a plastic bag or brown paper bag with several tablespoons of canola oil, a tablespoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and when I am feeling adventurous I add a little paprika or some other spices, even red pepper. It is really up to you.
Spread evenly one layer deep on a cookie sheet and roast at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. You really have to keep an eye on them because the roasting time is critical. Some people bake at 350 degrees for a longer time, about 10-12 minutes.
Roasting pumpkin seeds isn't an exact science so just play it by ear and keep an eye on them. Since oven heats vary, so do cooking times.
Pumpkin Bread... Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
Serving Size: 1 slice
Yield: 32 servings
Ingredients:
1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup yogurt, plain lowfat
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
Instructions: pumpkin recipes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together pumpkin, sugar, oil, and yogurt.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt; add to pumpkin mixture, stirring until just moistened.
3. Stir in raisins.
4. Pour into 2 greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour.
5. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.
Note: Substituting yogurt for eggs and oil reduces fat and cholesterol.
Cost:
Per Recipe: $ 2.90
Per Serving: $ 0.09
Source:
Adapted from:
Food for Fitness and Fun, November 2000
Iowa State University Extension
Pumpkin Pie Recipe...
INGREDIENTS
1 sugar pumpkin about 8 inches in diameter
or 1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
2 eggs
2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 pie crust for a 9 inch single crust pie
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur unbleached flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 12 fluid ounce can evaporated milk Pumpkin Pie Recipes
DIRECTIONS
Bake or steam pumpkin according to the instructions above for baked or steamed pumpkin. Once the pumpkin is cooked and the flesh is tender, cool and then puree or mash thoroughly.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add flour, salt, brown sugar, 2 cups of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. Each time you add an ingredient to the mix make sure you stir it in to avoid clumping.
If you have purchased a prepared pastry shell pour the mixture into the shell or if you have a crust, place it in a 8-9 inch pie pan and pour mixture in. Some people like to put a strip of aluminum foil around the outer perimeter of the crust to prevent burning. You can buy these already made up or make your own. I don't like them, but then, that's just the way I am. I am not a big fan of aluminum anything.
I also like to put pecans of walnuts on top of the pie near the center. Three or four of these nuts seem to add a little something to the pie and also look nice.
Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the strip of foil about 20 minutes before the pie is done so that the edge of the crust will be a light golden brown. Cool pie, and refrigerate overnight for best flavor unless you are one of those people who likes warm pie. Even if you like warm pie it is always best to let a pie cool thoroughly and then reheat it if you like warm pie.
There is something about the cooling process that makes the pie taste better and to have a different consistency.
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