Pumpkin

~ Clarissa

You know what I never are in any form?

Pumpkin. 

I remember back in Ukraine my mother made a dish with pumpkin once (a pie? Or was it a cereal?) but it felt too exotic so we ended up not eating it. 

So I decided to find out what it tastes like and make pumpkin dishes. But first I have some questions. Is acorn pumpkin? Is winter squash? Because they look exactly like it and I bought a couple. I also bought something called “pie pumpkin.” Now I guess I need to saw them open and roast them, right? 

It’s an adventure. 

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Published by Clarissa

14 thoughts on “Pumpkin”

  1. Squash are not pumpkin and have a slightly different taste. I “pie pumpkin” is smaller than a normal one with less of a cavity and more meat relative to its size. You can boil or microwave pumpkin in a dish with water to allow you to remove the skin. However, libby canned pumpkin is superb and a lot less work.

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  3. And be sure you get canned pumpkin pie mix, it’s easier to use than just plain canned pumpkin which requires pumpkin pie spice in order to make pumpkin pie with it.

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  4. I believe winter squash varieties (my favorites are acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash) are related to the pumpkin.

    Favorite ways to prep:
    1) Acorn squash: buy deep dark green, heavy for its size. Cut into wedges. Toss with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and oil. Roast at 425 for 30 min. Yum! Goes well with pork and/or a simple risotto w/ mushrooms. You can eat the skin.

    2) Spaghetti squash: cut in half lengthwise, roast for about 30-50 min (depending on size). It will have a stringy texture, you can scrape the strings out with a fork and use it instead of pasta in any pasta dish!

    3) Butternut squash: peel, cut up into cubes, add to a beef stir fry. People like to use this one in butternut squash soup, so look that up (I’ve never made it).

    4) Delicata squash is hard to find here, but it’s delicious. Salt, pepper, and roast in oven. Eat with skin, which is thin and tasty. This squash has a delightful nutty taste.

    As for pumpkins, I don’t like American pumpkin pie (actually, I don’t much care for any American pies). My mom used to make the equivalent of an apple strudel but with pumpkins and apples. Filling consists of grated pumpkin and apples, sugar, raisins, and walnuts. Roll up in fillo (oil every 3 sheets) and bake.

    Enjoy! These winter squash have been quite a revelation in the US.

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    1. Wow, this is so helpful! Thank you so much!

      I know Canadians who tried the American pumpkin pie and are still relating the experience in horrified whispers. ☺ I never tried it and I’m in no hurry.

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  5. Pumpkin pie can be delicious or awful. A few key tips to avoid awful:

    • use a Pie Pumpkin, they are more flavorful and somewhat sweeter than the average Big Orange Jack o’ Lantern (which is more decorative than tasty)
    • cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and bake, cut side down, in a 350F or so oven until soft (approx. 30 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the pumpkin; a fork should glide easily through the skin and meat when done). Baking on aluminum foil or parchment makes cleanup easier
    • after the baked pumpkin cools, scoop it out and run the scooped out meat through a food processor with the metal knife blade until it is no longer stringy. This is really important. Don’t over-do the processing or you’ll make the pumpkin too thin and soupy.

    Season the now-silky pumpkin with lots of cinnamon, brown sugar, etc., and serve in a casserole as a side dish, or use for pie filling. It freezes well, too, for use later.

    This baking method works well for other winter squashes, too. Once the squash (e.g. Acorn) is soft, turn it over, fill the cavity with a savory stuffing or with cinnamon/butter/brown sugar and bake until hot/melted & enjoy. One half an acorn squash per person. You can also scoop out the meat and process like pumpkin; add a splash of orange juice (along with the cinnamon, etc.) to the processor for variety. Our kids enjoy squash when prepared like this.

    FWIW, “pumpkin spice” is not necessary for pumpkin pies or other pumpkin dishes, but some folks really like it (me, not so much). Chacun à son goût.

    Happy Autumn!

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    1. I forgot to add: many Pumpkin Pie recipes require adding cream to the mix. This is a very good thing. Sorry I don’t have a complete recipe at hand. There are many out there; just remember to use pie pumpkins and the food processor…

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  6. Back in the early 90s I was invited to an American Thanksgiving dinner. A friend had managed to score a couple of cans of pumpkin pie mix (not very easy in Poland at that time – I think they were actually from an Army store in Germany) and asked me to cook them.

    I improvised a crust from crushed cookies and butter and used the brought the pies to the dinner.

    The Americans were thrilled and the Poles who were there were curious….. until they had their first tast and their lips kind of curled in a way that seemed to say “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

    That was my first indication that pumpkin pie is an acquired taste.

    Oddly a few years later I made both pumpkin and sweet potatoe pie for a similar function and the Polish people in attendance liked the Sweet potato pie more.

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  8. Such silly information being bandied about on this post! This time of year, pumpkins aren’t meant to be eaten — there’re to be carved into spooky Jack-o’lantern shapes for the celebration of Halloween, less than three weeks from tonight.

    Some are meant to be mildly scary:
    Imgur

    And others are prophetic, reminding voters that the real horror begins on election day eight days later:
    Imgur

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    1. And in case those image links don’t work, let’s try again:

      Hark, that’s the wail of the banshee approaching through the endless night…..

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