Sure you know how to carve a pumpkin or use it as a fall decoration, but do you know how to roast the pulpy insides to use in pies, soups, sauces, and more? Do you know how to roast the seeds? Stay tuned for step-by-step instructions on both, and follow me this week as I post recipes using the roasted pumpkin puree and the seeds.
With the first frost in our immediate area, and several frosts in the farming areas outside of DC, the farmers market is thinning out to greens, gourds, lots of apples, and campaigners pawning off McCain and Obama stickers (actually, the campaigners may be the only thing not thinning out). Not to fear, however, as I am a big believer in welcoming each season. And who wouldn't, with beautiful scenes like this in our local area?
Several years ago, (during another election year) my roommates were both from Arizona. One roommate was very excited about the changing colors and the coming of snow, while the other really missed warm weather. In an effort to help her, I started a campaign called "Embracing Autumn." This campaign included activities such as apple picking, cider and cocoa drinking, root vegetable roasting, soup making, and even learning to knit winter scarves. Unlike negative campaign ads, my "Embracing Autumn" campaign was a hit.
It was in this spirit that I set off for the Old Town Alexandria farmer's market Saturday morning. The day seemed to reciprocate my hopefulness with beautiful blue skies, almost warm weather, and streaks of bright sunshine. My first stop was
Bigg Riggs Farm, where I found eight varieties of apples, some lovely acorn squash varieties, and the last of the yummy peppers. Coming in a few weeks, Calvin will be offering market-goers farm fresh eggs and frozen veggies (flash frozen this summer).
After grabbing some apples and two acorn squash, I headed off to get some cheese from my friends at the
Blue Ridge Dairy, then made a dash over to
Spring Valley Farm and Orchard where I found these "Veronica Cauliflower" which remind me of pictures of chaos theory. Though intrigued, I resisted and instead bought a big batch of gorgeous looking spinach.
My real goal this Saturday, though? Pumpkins! And I had yet to find them after several stops. With my head down and shoulders slumped over, I decided to conclude my farmer's market trip.
Ah, not so soon, though:
I found these pie pumpkins at the Cameron Berry Farm stand. Cameron Berry Farm is a farm near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The farmer at this stand informed me that they are also selling frozen berries from the spring and summer harvests. This was delightful news to me since my small home freezer really limited my ability to freeze berries and other summer treats.
Now, with my head proudly up, I avoided the political campaigners and proudly left the market with a full bag of produce embracing autumn.
So, let's talk about those pumpkins, shall we? Though the local produce is much more limited at this time of year, its incredible how versatile these items can be. In this spirit, I am declaring this week "Pumpkin Week" and throughout the week I will be posting some pumpkin creations for you including a first course, an entree, and a dessert-- all with pumpkin as the primary ingredient.
To begin, however, let's talk about some pumpkin basics. I was surprised to find out that many of my friends didn't know how to roast a pumpkin in order to use the pulp-- or how to roast the seeds to make delicious pumpkin seed snacks. In this post, I'll discuss the basics so that you can join me on this journey of using the pumpkin in multiple recipes.
Roasting the pumpkin:
I purchased two pie pumpkins. Pie pumpkins have a better flavor than the larger carving pumpkins we're used to seeing. You can also try using another type of pumpkin (if you can find one) like the Cinderella or a Kabocha squash.
Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
In the meantime, get a large knife and cut your pumpkins in half (cut them carefully, making each side flat so that the pulp will be able to steam when placed pulp-side down).
Remove the seeds by scraping with a spoon. Place them into a collander so that you can easily clean them for roasting later.
Place the pumpkins pulp-side down on a lined baking sheet.
Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pulp begins to look soft.
Remove the pumpkins and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Remove the pulp with a spoon. If you plan to use the puree for pumpkin bread, you may want to remove some of the liquid from the pulp by blotting with cheesecloth (thanks for the tip, Holly!).
If desired (for a smoother consistency), process the baked pulp in a food processor.
Two pie pumpkins will yield about 6-7 Cups of pumpkin puree. This will store in your fridge for about one week-- perfect for using throughout the week in multiple recipes.
Roasting the Seeds:
Before I digress too much, go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 350 F.
And now my digression. . . I feel like I'm really offering a public service here by including my instructions on how to roast pumpkin seeds. I've had three people tell me that they've had failed pumpkin seed roasting experiments this fall. The problem: you're trying to be too healthy by not using any oil or butter!
That's right. There, I said it. If you're going to roast pumpkin seeds you at least need to use oil, or use butter. I like to use both, and a lot of salt. This is a snack, folks, and it only comes once a year. Embrace the butter and the salt, at least for this one recipe.
After rinsing and cleaning the seeds of all the stringy pulp, place them on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on top. Then, place small squares of butter around the seeds. You can see them melting in this photo:
Liberally add Kosher Salt.
Roast in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes, until they look perfectly roasted and crispy like these.
Enjoy these as a snack or on top of soups and salads.
I've given you the basics, and throughout the week I'll follow-up with some delicious ways for you to use the pumpkin puree. I would have more recipes incorporating the pumpkin seeds, but my husband has already eaten them all.
Hopefully I've gained your vote for my "Embracing Autumn" pumpkin campaign. Now get out there and show your support: buy some pumpkins!
Coming in the next post: Pumpkin Soup with Apricot Brandy Cream. . . .
