Tomorrow or the next day, your local market may put their leftover pumpkins on clearance, and you can pick one up for dirt cheap. But why would you want to do that? After all, Halloween will be pretty much over.
You could make your own pumpkin puree! Yes you can!
You can use pumpkin puree in any recipe that calls for canned pumpkin. And it’s nice to know how to turn a dealio that doesn’t really look like food into something delicious. Besides, pumpkin recipes say “autumn” better than almost anything. Yum!
If you have the choice, buy a “pie” pumpkin or “sugar” pumpkin. They usually are smaller, and the flesh is thicker and nicer tasting.
Hack the thing into quarters.
Scrape out the seeds and stringy weirdness just like you would if you were carving a jack-o-lantern. Try not to think about the slimy. It will all be over soon. Save the seeds! You’ll need them for tomorrow’s class.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Arrange the pumpkin quarters cut side down on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or so, or until fork tender.
Now you’ll need to de-skin it. The Damsel found that she could easily just peel the skin off, but if your pumpkin doesn’t cooperate, you can just scoop the stuff out with a spoon.
Put the flesh into a blender or food processor to make it nice and smooth. The Damsel went after it with her trusty stick blender. Check the consistency. If it is drier than the canned stuff, add a little water. If it’s soupy, let it sit in a colander for a while. The closer you can get to canned pumpkin consistency, the better it will be for recipes, but don’t stress.
You’re done! Use in your favorite pumpkin recipe…pumpkin bread…pumpkin muffins…pumpkin milkshakes…mmmm…
Still, there’s one thing better to do with a pumpkin. Just hang out with one!
