The changing of the seasons from Summer to Fall is more than breathing the crispness in the air, pulling out sweaters and boots from the back of the closet, and paging through pictures of friends’ kids on Facebook dressed like small animals. Although I do love all of those things!
I also love the first sugar pumpkin of the season. Slicing off the top, chopping it in to pieces, roasting the seeds, and pureeing the flesh and baking away. Pumpkin recipes abound in this season, and I try to keep a bowl of pumpkin puree in the fridge so I am always ready to try something new or make a trusted favorite.
Here is how to do it in under 15 minutes! Start with a sugar pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins are also called pie pumpkins, and they are much more manageable than the jack-o-lantern sized. A regular knife will make short work of a sugar pumpkin – they are about 6-9″ in diameter.
Slice off the top of the pumpkin using a chef’s or santuko knife, and discard the stem. Chop the rest of the pumpkin in to chunks – size is not important. I find it easiest to work with the pumpkin when the pieces are not very round – it makes it easier to slice out the pulp and seeds. I use a serrated knife for that task. {You can separate the seeds from the pulp and save the seeds to roast!}
Place the chunks of pumpkin on a microwave-safe plate, skin side down and flesh side up. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 8 minutes, or until the flesh is soft. Be careful when removing the saran wrap – it will be steamy under there!
When it is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh off of the skin into a food processor using a spoon. Add a few Tablespoons of water, and process until smooth. That’s it! It should keep in the fridge for a week or two, or in the freezer for a few months. One sugar pumpkin will make approximately 1.5 c of puree.
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Fun! Thanks again for meeting me for dinner!
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I am not really sure why, but I have not done many pumpkin dishes (maybe cause I never had them as a child). So I hope you can forgive me for the question, but does it freeze well? Do you have tips for freezing it?
I understand! I think that Pumpkin – Gruyere Focaccia was my first pumpkin dish, and it got me hooked. Growing up, I did not like the taste of pumpkin pie (an American staple at Thanksgiving), so it turned me off of pumpkin until I found a recipe to open my eyes. But pumpkin is so healthy, and adds great flavor to recipes.
Pumpkin puree does freeze well! I only have experience freezing it in round Ziplock or Glad buckets (the disposable type). I just measure it by the cup, and then it is portioned and ready to go when I need it. It may form a small amount of frost on the top, but it will not affect the taste. I also think you could freeze it flat in freezer ziplock bags.
It will be fun to find and use when pumpkin is not in season! Let me know what you end up making, and good luck!
Thank you so for much for sharing your tips with me! Fabulous to know that it does freeze well and it really is such a good idea to freeze the puree in measured portions! I am going to try this the next few days!! Thanks!
Let me know how it goes – good luck!
Total success!! I’ve baked tons of pumkins and froze them in zipplock bags. Currently I am totally addicted to pumkin pancakes (just posted the recipe) Thanks for the tip!!!