Technique Post: Making Pumpkin Puree

I thought I would try branching out from the usual recipes into how it is that I do some things.  Also, the recipe for pumpkin puree would be ridiculously direction-heavy, so it might as well be a different sort of post.  Anyway, I got this pumpkin from the CSA so I decided to bite the bullet and do something with it.  Last year I made puree and just froze it, then promptly made nothing out of the frozen puree.  So this year I made the puree and made stuff out of it the same day.  Much more work on that one day, but also no freezer door full of pumpkin that makes me feel guilty for not using it.  I used a food processor to make this puree.  If you don't have one, a good one can be found here: KitchenAid KFP750OB 700-Watt 12-Cup Food Processor, Onyx Black.  You don't HAVE to have a food processor to accomplish this, but I have done it with a potato masher and found that the end product is still really stringy and that it is a lot more work.

1. Prepare the Pumpkin: Cut pumpkin in half.  This is a fantastic task to accomplish with your pumpkin-carving tools or any sturdy serrated knife with a comfortable handle. Once you have two halves, scoop out the seeds and the strings holding the seeds in.  If you are feeling really industrious, feel free to save and roast the seeds.  I didn't, but I could have.

2. Bake the Pumpkin: Once you have two halves that are clean of seeds and strings, place them cut-side down in a baking dish.  I used a large Pyrex pan, but it can be anything with tall sides and enough room to hold both pumpkin halves.  Pour enough water into the pan to come up about an inch on the pumpkins. If your cut line on your pumpkin is really straight, you should also make sure that water got into the pumpkin center (that the pumpkin isn't suctioned to the pan, basically).  Place dish with water and pumpkin in a 350 degree oven and roast until pumpkin is cooked through.  For my pumpkin, this took about an hour but my pumpkin was pretty big for a sugar pumpkin.  Check it after like 30 minutes and judge from there.  Pumpkin is done when a fork can pierce the skin and flesh with minimal pressure.
3. Cool the Pumpkin: Lift the pumpkin halves up so that the cut sides are exposed and prop it up in the pan.  I did this with forks.  This is less important to the whole process, but it does help the pumpkin cool faster so I recommend it.  Allow the pumpkin to cool until you can handle it with your bare hands.

4. Puree the Pumpkin: The pumpkin is now baked, soft, and cooled.  Use an ice cream scoop or soup spoon to scoop the meat from the skin of the pumpkin.  Try to not scrap hard enough to pull up pumpkin skin--it is hard and doesn't taste great--but if you do just take it off the scrapings.  Scoop the pumpkin meat into the bowl of a food processor.  Depending on your food processor and your pumpkin, you might need to make the actual puree in batches.  There is usually a "max fill" line on a food processor bowl and, for this project, I would really recommend using it.  You don't want lumpy puree.  Once your pumpkin meat is all in the processor or your bowl is full to the max fill line, affix lid and process pumpkin.  The actual puree will appear in seconds.  Scrap the sides of the processor down and give it a few more whirls, just to make sure it is smooth.
5. Use the Pumpkin: You now have puree.  If your pumpkin was anything like my pumpkin, you probably have a lot of puree (my pumpkin ended up being about 4 cups of puree).  Something you might notice is that homemade puree tends to be yellower and looser than the canned that you buy in the store.  This isn't wrong, it's just a different product.  The recipes that you will find for pumpkin on this site have generally been made with homemade puree not because I hate canned, but more because I tend to have pumpkins to deal with and create recipes to do just that.  Homemade and store-bought can usually be used interchangeably in things like pies, breads, and most cakes.  Just be aware that these recipes might turn out a little looser with homemade puree. I would not really recommend using homemade puree for cookies as it is, since the cookies will probably spread because of the extra moisture in the puree.  If you want to use homemade puree for such a recipe, I would recommend adding about 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch for every cup of homemade puree to help combat the loose-ness.  Another really important note here: you should not can homemade pumpkin puree.  Freeze it yes, can it no.  The USDA does not recommend home canning of pumpkin because the acid content of pumpkin is not high enough and the puree is dense enough to prevent the center from reaching the necessary temperature to kill bacteria and to prevent the growth of botulism.  If you make your puree and don't use it that day, it can be kept in a refrigerator for about a week and a freezer for about a year.  Or you can just use it right away, like I did, and have a whole bunch of delicious pumpkin products in your house.

Apple Crisp

I have a glut of apples at the moment, which is a positive problem.  I really like apples and it just doesn't seem like fall to me unless I make apple crisp at least a few times.  And when I say "apple crisp" this is always the recipe I mean.  The apples stay very apple-y, the topping is not overwhelmingly sweet, and it isn't real high on the calorie and fat scales.  Winner all around.  A short note here on what apples to use: I used 4 honeycrisp apples and 3 granny smiths when I made this batch.  This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, I mostly just like to mix something that bakes up sweet and mushy (macintosh, jonathon, honeycrisp) with something that will bake up firm and a little sour (granny smith is my go-to here and is pretty readily-available year-round).  Play with it a little on your own to find your preference or just use whatever is available to you.

Serves 4-6

7 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup quick-cook oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

1. Prepare the apples and place them in a baking dish.  I used an oval 11-inch ceramic baking dish, but pyrex works well too.  Basically you want the dish to be full almost to the top with sliced apples, but not overflowing.
2. Drizzle lemon juice over cut apples.
3. In small bowl, mix together brown sugar, oatmeal, flour, and cinnamon.  I usually just do this with my hands.  Using your fingers, a pastry blender, or two knives, cut butter into brown sugar mixture.  Once mixture is crumbly and there are no chunks of butter, sprinkle it evenly over apples in baking dish.
4. Bake crisp in 325 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.  At this point the apples should be crisp-tender and the topping should be browned.  If you like your apples more done, cover crisp with foil for the first 15 minutes and increase baking time by 10 minutes.

Pasta Bolognese

I didn't really set out to make bolognese sauce, but I sort of realized partway through the day that I had all the ingredients for it if I did some tweaking.  This sauce was really good but make no mistake, this is not marinara.  I don't really have a lot of experience with bolognese, so I was surprised at how much flavor this had but also how filling it was.  Luckily the leftovers reheated really well.

Serves 6

4 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
Salt and garlic salt to taste
1 lb pasta, for serving
Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In large skillet with lid, saute bacon pieces until browned and crispy.  Remove bacon pieces and set aside, but reserve drippings in pan.
2.  Saute garlic and onions in bacon drippings until soft and opaque.  Add mushrooms and saute until soft.  Add pork and brown until pork is no longer pink.  Stir in oregano and basil.  Add beef broth and red wine, simmering until liquids in the pan are reduced by about half.  Add tomatoes and tomato paste.  Stir browned bacon pieces into sauce, season to taste, and cover sauce.  Simmer sauce on low for about 30 minutes to combine flavors.  Serve sauce over pasta, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Slow Cooker Minestrone

Because my birthday cake was delicious, but also sort of rich, this was the soup that accompanied it.  It was hearty but also not terribly heavy, which was good because it has been unseasonably warm here and heavy food hasn't really been and option of late.  Putting this in the slow cooker also meant no added heat to the house, which is a definite bonus.  In the interest of full disclosure and giving credit where credit is due, I should also point out that I didn't make this soup.  It was made for me for my birthday.

Serves 6

2 links hot turkey sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
12 oz can canellini beans, drained and rinsed
14 oz can diced tomatoes, Italian seasoned style
2 bay leaves
9 cups chicken broth
2 cups small pasta
Parmesan cheese

1. In small skillet, brown hot turkey sausage with onion and garlic.  Season with salt, thyme, and basil.  Stir in flour and continue to cook over medium heat until liquids are reduced.  Pour mixture into pot of a slow cooker.
2. Add chicken, carrots, beans, and diced tomatoes to sausage mixture.  Stir well.  Add bay leaves and chicken broth and stir well.  Cook soup on high heat for 4-6 hours or low heat for 8 hours.
3. About 30-45 minutes before you are ready to eat, add pasta.  Serve once pasta is cooked through.  Remove bay leaves for serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for serving.

Brownie Cookies with Buttercream Frosting

I developed this recipe to have chocolate cookies that were also festive.  I love to make sugar cookies, but I also love chocolate.  It just seemed unfair that the only options for using all the fun festive sprinkles that I have are cupcakes or sugar cookies.  I also love the flavor of brownies with buttercream, but at times they just aren't as portable as they should be.  These particular cookies were made to go to a tailgater for a football game, which is a place where portability is a necessity.  They were a pretty big hit.

Makes about 60 cookies

1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
Basic Buttercream

1. In heatproof bowl, combine chocolates and butter.  Heat mixture in the microwave for about 2 minutes--stirring every 30 seconds--or until all chocolate and butter is melted.  Set mixture aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Mix sugar into melted mixture.  Stir in vanilla.  Mixture will appear grainy at this point.  Stir in eggs, a few at a time, and beat well.  Make sure eggs are incorporated before adding dry ingredients. Measure salt into mixture and stir.  Add flour, one cup at a time, and beat well.  Be sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl well, as flour seems to collect there very well with this recipe.
3. Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Drop scoops of dough onto prepared cookie sheet.  You will want each cookie to be about 2 tablespoons of dough.  Bake cookies in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  As these are very dark cookies, you will be able to tell that they are done when they are evenly puffed, the tops are dry, and the edges are crackled.  Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
5. Once cookies are completely cool, frost them with about 1 tablespoon of buttercream.  Add sprinkles, if desired.

Basic Buttercream

I use this frosting for pretty much anything.  I like it on cookies, on cakes, on graham crackers.  Pretty much anything that needs sweet or vanilla, this is the frosting I use.  This recipe will be enough for 12-16 cupcakes (spread frosting; it will frost fewer if the frosting is piped on), 30-45 cookies (depending on cookie size), or about half of a 9-inch layer cake.

Makes about 3 cups frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Milk, if needed
Food coloring, if desired

1. With an electric stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy to loosen it up.  This will take about 30 seconds.
2. Add vanilla.  Scrap sides and beat again until vanilla is incorporated.
3. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.  Scrap sides of bowl and beater after each cup is added.  After all 4 cups are added, if the frosting seems too stiff to use, you will want to add milk 1/2 teaspoon at a time.  You won't need much milk, so don't add too much or you will have to add more powdered sugar to even it out.
4. Add food coloring, if using.  Frosting itself will be a very pale yellow / off-white color.  I usually use the gel food colorings for frosting, as the liquid that comes in dropper-bottles thins frosting.

Week 17 Box

This was the last box that we will get this year, the newsletter this week informs me.  It was a little strange in its proportions (for example, the box had one brussell sprout in it) and a lot of it was already of a somewhat-questionable freshness.  Many of the sweet potatoes have already been thrown away because they were already moldy.  What is listed below is what I saved.  It should also be mentioned that the herbs listed here are actually from my mom's garden, so they were in extremely plentiful quantities.

• Carrots
• Garlic bulb
• Sugar pumpkin
• Butternut squash
• Oregano
• Basil
• Thyme