I’m a pumpkin purist. I prefer my jack-o’-lanterns made from real pumpkins. I also advocate using fresh pumpkin for any recipe calling for pumpkin. But that thought frightens many cooks who readily admit not knowing jack about pumpkins beyond jack-o’-lanterns.
Granted, real pumpkins can be a little spooky. Don’t let them scare you. Pumpkins, which are just another kind of squash, are easy to cook once you know how. To prepare a fresh pumpkin, simply cut it into pieces, and scrape out the fibrous strings and seeds. Save the seeds and toast them if you feel adventurous. Toasted pumpkin seeds make a tasty garnish and addition to salads.
Once the pumpkin is cut into pieces, lightly brush or spray the cut side with oil. Place the cut side down in a shallow baking dish and add about a half-inch of water in the baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven uncovered for 60 minutes or until pumpkin is fork tender. Remove pumpkin from the oven and cool. Scrape the pumpkin pulp from the peel, place it in a bowl, and puree until smooth with a hand blender. Refrigerate pumpkin for up to a week, or package and freeze.
One warning. Do not recycle your Halloween jack-o’-lantern for pumpkin puree. Use a fresh pumpkin that hasn’t been carved.
After Halloween the remaining fresh pumpkins and ornamental squashes, like Hubbard and Cushaw are usually pretty cheap. I look for a Golden Hubbard squash, which is my favorite to make a pumpkin/squash pie. Golden Hubbards actually have a reddish-orange color with an orange flesh that has a full rich flavor – perfect for pies.
Just in case fresh pumpkin still seems a bit scary, open a can. Canned pumpkin remains one convenience that is hard to beat, a fact Libby’s has built its business on since 1929 – making it easy for anyone to bake a pumpkin pie. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if canned pumpkin wasn’t the inspiration for the old cliché, “easy as pie.”
Each year more than 50 million pumpkin pies are baked. Most home bakers use the recipe that’s printed on the back of the can. Libby’s recipe has appeared on its label since 1950, along with other recipes often printed on the inside of the label.
Before you bake that pie or cook any other recipe calling for pumpkin puree, stop and check out the can. There are two kinds of canned pumpkin available, pure pumpkin and pumpkin pie mix.
Pure pumpkin is just that – pure pumpkin puree with nothing added. No salt, no sugar, no artificial flavorings, colorings or preservatives. It can be used in pies, breads, soups, pastas and any other recipe that calls for pumpkin or pureed squash. Pumpkin Pie Mix is pumpkin puree blended with pumpkin spices and sugar. Just open the can, add eggs and evaporated milk, pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake. Perfect for the baker in a hurry and those who don’t want to invest in boxes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice needed to create pumpkin spice.
To make the best of pumpkin season consider giving one of the following recipes a try, compliments of Libby’s. And whether you use fresh or canned pumpkin, give one of the recipes a try. each are as easy as … well, you know.
PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
6 cups granulated sugar
1 can (29 ounces) pumpkin puree
8 large eggs
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice or water
2 cups sweetened fresh or frozen cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour four 9×5-inch loaf pans. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in extra large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large bowl with wire whisk; mix until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon 4 cups of batter into each prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove loaves from pan to wire racks to cool completely. Once completely cooled, wrap loaves in plastic wrap.
CREAM OF PUMPKIN SOUP
Servings: 8
2 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped white onions
1 cup finely chopped leeks
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 cup cream or half and half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste
In a large soup kettle, heat butter and add the onions over a medium high heat. When onions become translucent, stir in leeks and celery. Sweat the vegetables until soft and celery is tender. Add pumpkin and garlic; cook for a few minutes to blend flavors. Add the stock and sage. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cream and heat through. Adjust to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.
LIBBY’S FAMOUS PUMPKIN PIE WITH BOURBON WHIPPED CREAM
Servings: 8, one pie
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 ounces) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fluid ounces) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch, deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream
Mix sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F; bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.
BOURBON WHIPPED CREAM
Whip 1 cup heavy cream in large mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons bourbon and 1 teaspoon ground ginger; continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
