I was surprised to find a cute little pumpkin in my CSA box last week. It was a Sugar Pie Pumpkin, the kind that you can cook with, so I was looking forward to trying something new. I decided to try making homemade puree, so that my pies this season could be made with real, organic pumpkin, instead of the canned stuff. I was pleased that it really wasn't too difficult and only took a little bit of time.
Homemade Pumpkin Puree, from Pioneer Woman
Use a Sugar Pie pumpkin.
Cut off the Stem.
Cut into quarters.
Clean out the seeds.
Roast in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes until tender, when a knife goes in easy.
Remove the flesh from the skin. Puree the flesh in a food processor or blender.
Store in plastic freezer bags, measured in portions.
My one sugar pie pumpkin made about 6 cups of puree. I'm planning on using it for Thanksgiving pies and possibly more Grab 'n Go Cookies!
Of course, I wasn't going to waste the seeds! I'd never roasted my own seeds as an adult...I remember making them with my mom when I was little, but this was my first time cleaning seeds on my own - and wow, are they slimy and slippery!
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds, adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com
Clean the seeds by rinsing them in water and draining out the stringy pumpkin goop.
Dry with a tea towel.
Drizzle with oil (canola, olive, vegetable, etc). Season with salt and/or any other spices (I used salt, cumin, and a bit of cayenne pepper). Then toss them around a little to make sure everything is evenly coated. Roast at 300F for 35 minutes or until light brown and crispy. Store the cooled seeds in an airtight container. Snack when you get the munchies!
Lea, this post was so timely. I had a little pumpkin and needed to figure out what to do with it. I ended up following your directions. I roasted the seeds as well and tried a curry honey thing with the spices I had on hand. We'll see how that turns out. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCool, Linda! Curry honey sounds delicious!
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