Pumpkin puree

Prince Edward Island is strewn with pumpkins right now.  In fact, I can see a healthy pumpkin patch from the front window.  Last week, one of those pumpkins was hand-delivered by the farmer himself.  So we set right to making some pumpkin puree.

Step 1:  If you've ever carved a pumpkin, you know what to do.

Step 2: Remove seeds.

Step 3:  Cut pumpkin up into small pieces.  Arrange in a smiley face if you are a joker like my dad.

Step 4:  Cook.  You can basically do this the same way you cook squash.  We chose to steam the cubes by covering a bowl with plastic wrap and microwaving for about nine minutes.  Later we did a batch by roasting in the oven for almost an hour.

Step 5:  Scoop flesh out and discard skin.

Step 6:  Puree.  You could use an immersion blender or food processor, whatever tickles your fancy.

Step 7.  Drain.  Notice how juicy the above puree is?  We researched a bit and found the suggestion to strain the excess juice from several hours to overnight.  We set up a little device with some cheesecloth in a colander and refrigerated overnight.

Step 8.  Put to good use!  Martha didn't let me down when I went looking for a recipe for pumpkin muffins.  It is a nice recipe - find it here.  I substituted pecans for walnuts since I love the pecans and one of my pet peeves is eating a walnut that's gone off - so bitter!  Between the puree and the yogurt (and the oil!) these muffins are nice and moist.  I also like the inclusion of some whole-wheat flour for that extra bit of fibre.  Thanks to my mom for creating a lovely little display for the finished product.

More pumpkin recipes to come!