To roast or boil pumpkin

susievb, Mar 12, 10:19pm
I want to make some pumpkins pies, will roasting add flavour!
and unlike roasting for dinner with onions and such no salt and oil!

dezzie, Mar 12, 10:27pm
I usually just microwave it for pumpkin pies.boiling would make it too watery I think, roasting would be ok I guess, but the extra flavour from roasting comes from the "caramelised" bits on the edges, and they would possibly be speckly when you mash/whizz it.

cookessentials, Mar 12, 10:29pm
I make pumpkin pie but just steam ( or micowave) the pumpkin. Baking them in the oven may perhaps make them taste a llittle nuttier, not sure. The recipe I have is one from a friend of Mum's ( long passed on now) who was married to a Canadian and her pumpkin pie recipe is delicious with plenty of spices and evaporated milk which may sound strange, but it does make a delicious pie.

battgirl, Mar 12, 11:35pm
I just cut a pumpkin (butternut, need that lovely firm flesh) in quarters, de-seed and whack it in the oven to roast for an hour - simple and works a treat. Made a ridiculously good pumpkin pie last week (even if I do say so myself) but my family doesn't love it as much as I do so it will be a rare treat.otherwise I have to eat the whole bloody thing myself!

cookessentials, Mar 13, 3:45am
They look like absolute beauties holly-rocks. Pumpkin loaves, pumpkin soup, pumpkin scones, roast pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin risotto.you are going to have fun!

holly-rocks, Mar 13, 5:32am
Thanks Cooks, great ideas :)

Will be giving half away to friends and family.but looking forward to trying out lots of great recipes :)

^________^

cookessentials, Mar 13, 6:08am
happy to supply when you want them

holly-rocks, Mar 13, 11:57pm
Hi Cooks :) I would love your pumpkin pie recipe ~ just when you have the time. Your hot smoked salmon salad recipe is an all time fav dish to serve when my Mum visits!Thank you kindly :)

cookessentials, Mar 14, 3:08am
Hi holly-rocks, here is Joyce's pumpkin pie recipe for you. I shall put the pumpkin loaves recipe up as well, they are fabulous and are like a cake loaf as opposed to a bread loaf. They freeze really well and keep for ages as they have oil in them.

Joyce's Traditional Pumpkin Pie
This recipe has been in our family for over fourty years.
It was given to my Mother by a friend of hers who had lived in Canada and was married to a Canadian. The evaporated milk is traditionally used in American pumpkin pie and it makes an extremely delicious and easy to make dessert.
Ingredients:
500g pumpkin,peeled and cooked till tender
2 eggs
1 cup soft brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mace
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
375ml can evaporated milk
Method:
Mix pumpkin,eggs,sugar, salt & spices in a food processor,wizz until well combined. Add flour and lastly add milk. Prepare a sweet short pastry ( I cheat and buy a frozen Irvine's pastry from the supermarket!) into a greased, deep 23 cm pie dish. Bake at 200C for 35-40 minutes. Serve cold with whipped cream.

cookessentials, Mar 14, 3:10am
Pam's Pumpkin Loaves (makes two)
Ingredients:
3 cups of castor sugar
1 cup salad/sunflower oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 & 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup water
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
(tsp of spices do not need to be level - up to you, but I like spicy.)
500g pumpkin,cooked and mashed
(cut pumpkin into big chunks-leave the skin on and put into a microwave proof dish with a little water and cover with gladwrap-leave a loose corner for steam to escape. Cook for 8-9 minutes-just be careful removing the wrap-its hot! When it is cool enough to handle, slice the skin off with a sharp paring knife).
Method:
Cream sugar and oil with electric mixer in LARGE bowl, add eggs and pumpkin,mix well. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with the water. Grease and flour your loaf tins. When you fill them, they will be close to the top of the tin. Using a cup to get mixture into tins -gets them even. Bake at 175C for 1 & 1/2 hours. Let them stand 10 minutes before turning out. NOTE:These will rise VERY high in the tin, so don't panic. I test mine with a skewer in the middle because they sometimes need a little extra time. They freeze beautifully and they keep moist for ages too. Anyone who does not like pumpkin-just tell them it is a spice loaf- I can bet they will love it.

holly-rocks, Mar 14, 6:00am
Thank you so much Cooks, I really appreciate it, especially since the pumpkin pie is a family recipe. I cant wait to try them both out (: Thanks again!:D:D:D

cookessentials, Mar 14, 8:36am
You are most welcome.

susievb, Mar 14, 11:58am
Well in the end I roasted one, so I had some roasted with dinner, the rest I put in the blender and put in ice cream cartons in the freezer until I can be bothered cooking the pie.

I have a wooden mallet I got from an op shop and use that to whack the knife blade to cut it up. A good way to get rid on any frustrations -he he!

Mum's recipe for her pie is for a medium pie dish: 2 cups of cooked pumpkin pulp, but you have to add the sugar and butter and eggs and lemon juice and salt. On 2 cups you would use about 3 eggs, a little over 50 grams butter and a pinch of salt, sugar and enough lemon juice to taste right depending on how sweet you want it. They come out tasting a little like apricot.

Her pastry is a non roll sort. where you tip it into a greased pie dish and push/pat to form the bottom and sides.
6oz flour, pinch salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, 100 grams of butter, 1 egg.
Put all but the egg in the food processor and whizz till processed, then add the egg and pulse. It should be moist and crumbly. If a bit dry add a tiny bit of water. She often adds in 10 tablespoons of wholemeal (not wholemeal flour).

Cook at 150c until the pastry has browned, and the filling set.

roshu, Mar 15, 4:30am
I like to precook my pumpkin in the microwave with a few drops of water. It seems to bring out the flavour even in young pumpkin.

kandjaja, Mar 15, 4:39am
Neither. Belongs in the bin. Blurrrk

soph001, Mar 16, 4:09am
A great way of getting into a whole pumpkin is put it in a shopping bag and then throw it on the concrete. as many times as you need to until you have 3-4 pieces, easy to cut from there.

susievb, Mar 16, 4:18am
Does that bruise the pumpkin! if some left uncooked I mean.

samanya, Mar 16, 4:22am
I'm going to save this thread .have one self sown pumpkin in the compost, last count 15 good sized pumpkins & guess what .the purposely planted pumpkin plants have 6 between them!
Now how to work out how to store the ones I keep,away from the rats & mices.