How to Cook a Pumpkin or Squash

Submitted by Debber

"There's an easy way and a hard way. You choose which you'd like to do...I used to do it the hard way, but not anymore!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 1
• Yields: 1 pumpkin
• Serves: 1

ingredients

• 1 pumpkin or 1 squash

directions

1. THE EASY WAY: Wash outside of fruit, cut in half, scrape out seeds (save for roasting into snacks) and that stringy stuff, place halves face down on a cookie sheet.
2. Bake at 300 (or so) until "meat" is tender; discard shells/skin.
3. Use meat as called for in pie or cake recipe.
4. OR mash or blend meat until very smooth (add a bit of water), heat in a soup pot, and then ladle into clean HOT jars, seal with canning lids, and process in hot water bath or pressure cooker. Label & use for pie filling or cake recipes.
5. THE HARD WAY: Cut fruit into spears, remove seeds & stringy fibers, then using a paring knife or peeler, remove skins. Cut into large chunks and cook down in a soup pot to make pie filling or roast with other autumn vegetables (balsamic vinegar & sea salt make a nice marinade!).

Reviews

[VKuuipo Bridges]

I've made this twice now. The first time I followed the temp setting and cooked for an hour. It came out really well because the pumpkin was just at the ripeness level to be cooked. The 2nd time I upped the temp to 350F. I cooked it for 1 1/2 hours. It was a bit less ripe than the first one. However, the extra 30 min made a difference :). The skin just peeled right off and the texture to make it puree was just right.

 

[kanddbk]

If you search online, you will find that you are NOT supposed to can / preserve pureed pumpkin because of high risk of botulism. The recommendation is to either freeze the puree that you describe OR can chunks of pumpkin and puree it when ready to use. Just a hint to save people some illness....