Homemade pumpkin puree
I loathe pumpkin pie, but that doesn’t mean I hate pumpkin.
Pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cookies. All good. It’s the slimy texture of pumpkin pie that I can’t stand.
You might remember this cute little pie pumpkin that adorned my dining room table this fall.
I kept it out through Thanksgiving. As long as the skin isn’t damaged, pumpkins will last a long time. Once the Christmas decorations went up, my intention was to cook and puree the pumpkin and freeze it for future use. I was a bit busy making Christmas gifts, so I didn’t get around to it until now.
Here’s how simple it is to turn your decorative pie pumpkin into a healthy puree ready to use in your favorite pumpkin recipes. (This works with pretty much any type of winter squash, too.)
- Wash the pumpkin.
- Remove stem and cut pumpkin into quarters.
- Remove seeds (you can save those to roast) and cut pumpkin into large chunks.
- Steam for about 15 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. (Roasting is another option.)
- Cool slightly and remove skin.
- Puree in food processor or blender until smooth. Add a little water if the machine seems to struggle to start processing. I added about 1/4 cup of water to this batch.
Since I’m not always sure what I’ll use the pumpkin for, I measure it out before freezing.
This pumpkin yielded roughly 4 cups of puree (the yellow dish holds 2 cups, the red one holds 1 cup and the bowl in back holds 1-1/2 cups when full) .
The recipe I’ll be making calls for 2-3 cups of pumpkin, so I’ll freeze the remainder for future use. When freezing puree, I always note on the container the date it was made and how much there is.
Care to guess what I plan to make with my pumpkin puree? One hint: It won’t be pumpkin pie!
What’s your favorite pumpkin-flavored food?
Posted on January 13, 2013, in cooking, food, gourds, produce, pumpkins, recipes, thrify tip and tagged cooking, food, healthy eating, pumpkin puree. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
Leave a comment
Comments 0