Culinary expert Colleen Miner joins TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham to share some ideas for cooking with pumpkins.
Baked Pumpkins and Fruit
Ingredients:
1 baking pumpkin, about five to eight pounds
2 apples (cored, peeled and cubed)
2 pears (cored, peeled and cubed)
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup apple juice
ice cream
Preparation:
Cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom and remove the seeds and pulp (figure A).
Divide fruit between the two pumpkin halves, and top each with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of apple juice into each pumpkin half (figure B).
Bake at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and fruit (figure C), top with ice cream and serve.
Curried Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
1 leek, chopped
1 potato, boiled and cubed
1 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 cups pumpkin, cooked and pureed
4 cups milk
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Preparation:
Saute leek and potato cubes in olive oil (figure D). Place mixture in a large pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Puree soup in a blender, or use a hand mixer, then serve.
Serving Suggestion
Use a pumpkin serving set for the soup. Just hollow out and clean a large pumpkin and pour the soup into the pumpkin "tureen" (figure E). Serve individual portions in smaller pumpkin soup bowls (figure F).
Pumpkin Tips
- Believe it or not, pumpkin pies do not necessarily come from a can. Slice pumpkins in half from top to bottom and remove the seeds and pulp. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 90 minutes, then scoop out the flesh and use to make pumpkin pie.
- Bigger is not better when it comes to cooking pumpkins. The flesh of smaller pumpkins is more tender flesh and less stringy. Save those big fellas for jack-o'-lanterns.
- A baking pumpkin should not be larger than five to eight pounds. Baking pumpkins are sometimes referred to as sugar pumpkins.
- Pumpkinseeds make a great snack by themselves. After removing and rinsing the seeds, soak them in a solution of two cups water and one teaspoon salt for about 30 minutes.
- Pat the seeds dry with a towel and spread them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and other desired seasonings such as garlic powder or chili powder. Roast in a 350-degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- A pumpkin will last about a week if it is wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
Reprinted with permission of Home & Garden Television, hgtv.com.
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