Most people do not know that when your Halloween pumpkin has finished his duty on October 31st, you can cook him up for delicious pies and breads. It pains me to think of all the pumpkins thrown away in November. As with Mom's Chicken Stock, this is something Mom taught me to make with the stuff people usually throw away. So if Jack hasn't made it to the trash bin or compost heap, here's step-by-step instructions on how to cook him up.
- Admire your handiwork one last time. This is our pumpkin, Voldemort, carved by my husband and daughter. I thought it bore a pretty striking resemblance, although if I knew we were going to have a Voldemort pumpkin I might have picked one that was narrower in the face.
- Cut Jack (or in this case, Voldemort) in half and place him on a jelly roll pan or similar pan with a small lip. If your pumpkin is too big, slice into more pieces to fit or use two pans. Put just enough water in the pan to cover the bottom.
- Put Voldemort, er, Jack, in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. He is ready to come out when a fork inserted into the flesh goes in easily. (If only it was this easy for Harry Potter).
- When your pumpkin is cooked, turn it over and scoop out the insides into a food processor. A blender might work also, but you will constantly have to push the contents down to the blade. A food processor is really the right tool for the job here.
- Suddenly I have the urge to say, "Oh no, Mister Bill!" But I digress. The next step is to blend the pumpkin flesh in batches in your food processor until it is a smooth consistency. You don't want any big chunks of pumpkin to show up in your breads, muffins or pies. Store the pumpkin puree in 2-cup plastic containers in the freezer. You will probably get at least 3-4 pints of pumpkin from a good-sized Jack-O-Lantern, and they will keep up to a year (or longer!) in your freezer. I know because I am usually finishing up last year's pumpkin about the time the next Halloween comes around. Oh, and the empty rind can go into a compost pile or worm bin.
- Cook your pumpkin into muffins, pies, breads, whatever. You may need to cut down a little on any added liquid in your recipe, particularly for breads, because homemade pumpkin has more moisture in it than (heaven forbid) canned pumpkin. For pies it doesn't matter so much but you may need to cook it a little longer. Here is what's left of the pie I made on Halloween night from last year's pumpkin.
- Eat and enjoy! This recipe is called Magic Pumpkin Pie and Mom got it from a condensed milk can years ago. It is the best and easiest pie in the world to make. Included for your enjoyment.
Magic Pumpkin Pie:
- One 9" pastry shell, unbaked (homemade is best, but pre-made for expediency)
- 2 c. pumpkin
- 1 1/3 c. Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk (fat-free is fine to cut a few calories)
- 1 egg, unbeaten
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 1/4 t. cinnamon
- 3/4 t. nutmeg
- 1 t. ginger.
Combine pumpkin, milk, egg, salt & spices. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) 50-55 minutes until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool at least 20-30 minutes before serving. Flavor intensifies the longer it sits.
The old ways are still god ways. The pie looks good and your instructions detailed. You should write a book!!! we pretty much skipped Halloween and went out to dinner, but them, there are really no children where we live.
Dad
Posted by: Dad | November 04, 2010 at 02:48 PM
Yeah, you really need kids to do Halloween. Remember the time I dressed up as a robot with a homemade costume made out of a cardboard box that you spray-painted silver? Good times :-)
Posted by: Louise | November 07, 2010 at 09:59 PM
Don't think that's going to work with our pumpkins. Weather was too warm and they've started to mold already. :-(
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=39302382 | November 01, 2011 at 11:48 AM
Well in that case, it's not so good. We are usually carving our pumpkin on Halloween afternoon or maybe the day before if we're really on our game, so they don't get a chance to go moldy :-)
Posted by: Louise | November 01, 2011 at 11:58 AM