ThePioneerWoman.com

It may only be October 6, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s holiday season here on The Pioneer Woman Cooks! I want to give us all plenty of time to test recipes, make grocery lists, and walk a thousand flights on the Stairmaster before Thanksgiving is upon us. So let the cooking begin!

Several years ago, when my two girls were babies, my mother-in-law and I decided we had nothing better to do with our lives than to prepare a Thanksgiving meal made entirely from scratch, i.e. no prepackaged or prepared foods. And we almost did it—using everything from homemade chicken stock to cranberries we dried ourselves to a 20-pound turkey from our own backyard. His name was Harold. It was a difficult day for our family.

Just kidding on the Harold thing; we actually bought a fresh turkey. But we did have a pretty pure Thanksgiving dinner, capped off by the most delicious pumpkin pie I’d ever tasted—made especially scrumptious by pumpkin puree that she and I made ourselves. I’d never been a big fan of pumpkin pie until then, but there was just something about the texture and flavor that convinced me that making my own pumpkin puree was worth the extra effort—and as it turns out, it isn’t much effort at all. I’ve been pureeing my own pumpkin ever since.

It’s around this time of year that I start storing up pumpkin puree in my freezer, in approximately one-cup quantities. Aside from the obvious use in pumpkin pie, it comes in handy for pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin dip, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin butter (see second post below)…I even mix the puree with butter and maple syrup for a ridiculously sinful fall side dish. And don’t even get me started on how good it is for you. I don’t even need to tell you; just look at the color and you’ll be a believer.

I’ve read opinions that declare canned pumpkin puree just as good as, if not better than, the fresh stuff. And you know me—I’m always willing to go along with a more convenient shortcut. But all I can tell you is that in my experience…in my isolated, agoraphobic, reclusive experience…I’ve been more pleased with the outcome of pumpkin-based dishes in which I’ve used the from-scratch puree. So give it a try this year! Substitute homemade for the stuff in the can. And report your findings here.

Pumpkin recipes will follow. For now, though, let’s get the fundamental process down. You can start pureeing pumpkin today!

To begin, select a couple of small-ish pumpkins. The larger they are—for instance, jack-o-lantern pumpkins—the more you’ll run into weird tastes and textures. (Though the first time my mother-in-law and I pureed pumpkin, we used a big motherin’ thing and it turned out just fine.)

 
I think the one on the left senses the end is near. Could have something to do with the gigantic knife right next to him.

 
Ugh. This is always the worst part. I’m sorry, guys…but you’re a part of the food chain. I’m just following the natural order of things.

 
Pretend he’s a jack-o-lantern and lop off his head near the stem.

 
Cut in half like so…

 
Then take a moment to examine his innards. Pretend you’re a surgeon.

 
Repeat with his compadre.

Okay, wait a minute. I know there are vegetarians. I understand that. And while I don’t necessarily subscribe to the exact same set of values vegetarians do, I do understand where they’re coming from. Animals are sweet. And cuddly. And fellow citizens of this earth.

But before I continue with this personification of vegetables, is there such a thing as a belief system that espouses that vegetables are somehow alive? And that if we lop off their heads we’re committing some form of murder? I just want to make sure before I continue on to the next step. I’m all about not offending here at ThePioneerWoman.com. I don’t want to make anyone’s hiney cringe.

 
Anyway, as I was saying, back to the pumpkin’s guts…

 
With a spoon or a scoop, scrape out the seeds and pulp from the center.

 
Sometimes you have to use a little elbow grease—the stringy stuff likes to hang on. And don’t get too worked up about leaving a few strings behind. It won’t hurt anything. (Translation: I give you permission not to be thorough.)

 
Place all the seeds into a bowl and puh-leeeeez do not discard them. We’ll roast them later.

 
Repeat until all the pumpkin pieces are largely free of seeds and pulp.

 
Place pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet (face up or face down; I’ve done both) and roast in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes, or until pumpkin is fork-tender.

 
This is what it looks like when it’s done—just nice and light golden brown. (FYI, I don’t drizzle the pumpkin with olive oil before baking, because I want the puree to be in its purest form.)

 
Here’s what happens to the skin.

 
And that makes it pretty easy to remove the skin from the pumpkin pieces.

 
Sometimes I use a knife and scrape the “meat” from the skin as I peel it back.

I don’t want to sacrifice any of that delicious orange goodness. My eyes. They need it.

 
Continue peeling off the pumpkin skin…

 
Until you have a big pile of the stuff. And if you think I didn’t break off a chunk of this stuff and pop it right into my mouth, you’re sorely mistaken.

 
Now, if you have a food processor, throw in a few chunks at a time. A blender will work, too, if you add a little water. OR…you can simply mash it up with a potato masher…OR move it through a potato ricer…OR process it through a food mill. Whatever makes your skirt fly up.

 
Pulse the pumpkin until it’s totally smooth. Now, while some pumpkin, depending on the batch you get, can be quite watery, this was almost too dry. I added in 3 tablespoons of water during the pulsing and it was just the moisture it needed.

(Note, if the puree is overly watery, you should strain it on cheesecloth or over a fine mesh strainer to get rid of some of the liquid.

 
Dump the pureed goodness into a bowl…

 
Then fill the food processor with more pumpkin chunks.

 
And puree away!

 
And dump it on into the bowl with its fallen comrades.

NOW! You can either use this immediately in whatever pumpkin recipe you’d like…or you can store it in the freezer for later use.

Here’s how I store my pumpkin:

Grab a large plastic storage bag and fold the edges outward. (This will keep you from smudging pumpkin all over the inside of the bag, not that that matters since it’ll eventually be all over the inside of the bag anyway, so why am I even suggesting this? Forgive me, please. Forgive me.)

 
I spoon about 1 cupful of pumpkin into each bag; that way, I know exactly how much I’m getting when I pull a bag out of the freezer.

 
Seal the bag with just a tiny bit of an opening remaining, then use your hands to flatten out the pumpkin inside the bag and push out the air. See? IT’S A GOOD THING I HAD YOU FOLD THOSE SIDES DOWN SO YOU WOULDN’T GET PUMPKIN ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF THE BAG, HUH?

Sometimes I amaze even myself.

 
Fill as many bags as you can, stacking them as you go. Store them in the freezer until you need them. I know those freezer police try to tell you only to store it for six to eight months, but I SWANEE I’ve used year-old pumpkin from the freezer before with great success.

Don’t tell the freezer police. I don’t want any trouble.

Next up: Pepitos!

________________________

Posted with love and Beta Carotene by Ree Drummond.

• 203 Comments
• Permanent link to this post.

With all the pureed pumpkin I have in the freezer, I’m always looking for new and easy ways to use it. My goal is that by the end of November, my skin will have a nice orange quality to it. I just love that orange skin look—hearkens me back to the wonderful tanning booth days. Mmm…what a high point that was in my life.

One Thanksgiving I was given a jar of the most delicious pumpkin butter. OH, was it ever wonderful. I spent an entire week toasting english muffins and sliced sandwich bread, just so I could keep eating the pumpkin butter. It made my whole holiday extra wonderful.

This is a play on that creation, with a couple of twists. First, this pumpkin butter is not heat processed, so the pumpkin maintains its bright orange hue. Second, it contains the wonderful, the marvelous plain, nonfat yogurt, which gives it a nice injection of calcium-rich dairy, as well as a little bit of tangy creaminess. Finally, it takes about a minute to mix together. What could be wrong with that?

Begin by dumping a cup of plain yogurt into a mixing bowl. (Confession: This is actually vanilla yogurt, which also works just fine.)

Add in 1 cup of the pumpkin you just pureed.

 
1 teaspoon (more if you desire) pumpkin pie spice.

 
And 1 heaping cup of powdered sugar.

 
Stir together well and give it a taste. If you like things spicier, add more spice. If it tastes like it could use more sweetness, add more powdered sugar. And if you need more pumpkin flavor…you know what to do.

And that’s it!

 
I like to store my pumpkin butter in a pretty jar. It makes me feel more special, which gets me through the day.

 
Pretty jars make everything better.

Who said that? Nietzsche?

 
Of course this needs to be stored in the fridge.

 
But it’ll keep in there for a good five or six days. And if you have a houseful of holiday guests, there’s no way it’s lasting that long.

 
So this is what I do.

 
Bread. Toasted.

 
Butter. Soft.

 
Butter. Soft. (Repeat step.)

 
Pumpkin Butter. Mmmmm.

 
Really slather it on, too. And here’s a tip: the warmer the bread, the more delicious it is. The pumpkin butter starts to seep into the melting butter and warm bread and ohhhhhhhh, is it ever good.

 
If you don’t believe me, just look at the evidence.

Enjoy!

Lots of Love,
Pioneer Woman

• 106 Comments
• Permanent link to this post.

Recent Recipes on PW Cooks!

• Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree!
• Delicious, Nutritious “Pumpkin Butter”
• Trapped Under Something Heavy
• Excuse Me a Moment While I Faint
• Migas. It’s All About Migas.
• My Le Creuset Dutch Oven: Love Everlasting
• The Perils of Food Photography
• Renee Zellweger Wins It!
• Because One Espresso Giveaway Was Not Enough
• Good Ol’ Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies

• PREVIOUS RECIPE.