Cooking with pumpkins
A girl looks for the perfect pumpkin. Field, neck, pie and cinderalla pumpkins are the best varieties to cook with.
By NICKI LEFEVER
for Smart
When the fall breeze blows in the smell of cinnamon and cloves, it’s clearly time for pumpkin pie.
But there are many other pumpkin-filled dishes to bring comfort this autumn. From pumpkin roll to pumpkin soup, the savory squash is a great ingredient to add to fall cooking.
Mary Sue Shaw at Shaw Orchards in Hopewell Township said her family eats pumpkin pancakes with bacon or sausage on Sunday evenings.
Pumpkins make her think, “Come on fall.”
“It’s just a fun time,” she said. “I love the season, and the whole fall excitement has grown over the years, and it’s right up there with Christmas.”
When the plump orange produce comes popping up from the third week in September through November, the oven is burning for the sweet scent of baked goods. The lighter-colored and larger-neck pumpkin varieties are most commonly used for pumpkin pies.
With the orchard harvesting apples and hosting tours, Shaw doesn’t have much time to be baking in the kitchen, but when she does, pumpkin is one of her ingredients of choice.
Pumpkins come in many shapes and sizes, so if you go to the patch, Shaw said, you can choose exactly what you are looking for. Many families enjoy a day looking for the perfect carving, baking and decorating varieties.
While the season lasts only through November, Shaw said cooking down a pumpkin and freezing it is the best way to enjoy local pumpkin all winter long.
Here are some recipes to try:
Pumpkin Pancakes
½ pound cooked pumpkin
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Dash nutmeg and/or cinnamon (optional)
½ cup water
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons browned butter, or bacon fat plus extra for frying
Maple syrup
Puree pumpkin in blender and drain if necessary. Should yield ½ cup of puree. Mix cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking soda in large bowl. Add spices if desired. Add pumpkin puree, water and egg. Mix well. Stir in melted butter or bacon fat. Grease griddle; heat until very hot. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto pan. Fry until lightly browned on each side. Serve with maple syrup.
Recipe provided by Mary Sue Shaw, Hopewell Township
Pumpkin Brownies
¾ unsweetened cocoa
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter plus some for pan
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups cooked pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 9-inch square pan. In a medium bowl, combine cocoa, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, cream brown sugar and butter with mixer at medium speed. Continue beating until mixture is pale brown and thick, about five minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, adding the second only after the first is thoroughly incorporated. Add pumpkin and continue beating until smooth and creamy, about three minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Do not beat. Pour batter into pan and bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes.
Recipe provided by www.shaworchards.com
Fettuccini with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
16 ounces fettuccine
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon butter
1 ½ cups cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried sage
Parmesan cheese to taste
Make pasta according to directions. Keep warm. In medium saucepan, whisk milk and cornstarch together. When cornstarch is completely dissolved, place on stove at medium heat. Add ¾ cup water, butter and pumpkin. Stir. When pumpkin is dissolved, add onion powder, salt, garlic powder and sage. Stir until mixture comes to a low boil and thickens to the consistency of Alfredo sauce. Toss sauce with pasta, and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Recipe provided by www.shaworchards.com
Pumpkin Five-Spice Butter
1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree, strained
1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest, finely grated
1½ to 2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
Salt to taste
Confectioners’ sugar for sweeter
applications (optional)
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Place the butter in a medium mixing bowl and with an electric mixer (fitted with a paddle) or wooden spoon, beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides. Add pumpkin puree, zest and five-spice powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl, and beat to incorporate all ingredients. Taste for the five-spice powder and salt. Add confectioners’ sugar if desired. Stir in nuts, if desired, and taste again for salt. Scrape into a small bowl, serving crock or butter mold and cover tightly; or shape into a long roll in grease-proof paper (plastic, wax or parchment) for storing and slicing as needed.
Recipe provided by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
How to cook a pumpkin
Slice one medium-sized pumpkin into two or three manageable pieces. Remove seeds. Place on cookie sheet and roast at 350 degrees until done. Cool. Remove from rind by scraping. Store up to one week in refrigerator, or freeze.Best pumpkins for cooking
Field, neck, pie and Cinderella pumpkins are good choices.
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