So, I kind of a have a thing for pumpkin. Like a big thing. I don’t really know why I love it so much, but I do. Maybe it is because pumpkins are typically associated with fall and fall is definitely my favorite time of year. Nutritionally, pumpkins have a lot to offer, being low in calories (less than 50 calories per cup), high in fiber, Vitamin A and other crucial vitamins and minerals.
I don’t know about other parts of China, but rumor is you can get pumpkins pretty much year round here! This is good, it means I can pace myself instead going pumpkin crazy for only a month or two. Although you can get canned pumpkin here, it can be fairly expensive. I realized that canned pumpkin was not going to be a sustainable way to get my pumpkin fix, especially when fresh pumpkins are so easy to come by.
One night at a friend’s house, she had one of these the long, skinny, tan colored pumpkins sitting out. She said that she almost always buys these instead of the typical small round orange ones because the taste and texture are so much better. I was a bit skeptical but she told me to give it a try for myself. Man, was she right! I may never go back to buying any other kind of pumpkin. If you haven’t tried these yet then I highly recommend you do and see what you think! All that said, any other kind of pumpkin will work just fine as well.
Cooking and prepping a fresh pumpkin takes a bit of time and effort but it is so worth it. First, just start by cutting the pumpkin up into smaller pieces. There really is no science to this part. I usually cut mine into three or four pieces and then cut those each lengthwise. You’ll want to scoop out all the seeds before baking. You can toss the seeds or hang onto them for roasting and snacking on.
Lay the pumpkin pieces on a baking pan and add about an inch of water. Bake at about 375 °F (190 °C) for 30-40 minutes or until pumpkin is completely soft.
Let the pumpkin cool and then peel off the skin. It should come off easily, but you may need to use a knife.
Mashing the pumpkin works just fine but I usually like to put my pumpkin through a blender for just a few seconds to get it nice and smooth. Now you have delicious cooked pumpkin that you can use just like you would canned pumpkin! You can make muffins and cookies or add a scoop to smoothies and oatmeal for a fall spin on your normal morning routine.
The first thing I did with this pumpkin was use it to make a pumpkin pie for our big Thanksgiving meal we had last week with a few friends. I realize this post is a little late for Thanksgiving, but who says that’s the only day you can bake a pumpkin pie, right?
One thing you’ll learn about me is that I am often looking for ways to make a recipe healthier while still tasting great. This was my first time to try this pumpkin pie recipe and it turned out well. I found it on a website called www.eatbetteramerica.com that has lots of tips for how to “healthify” recipes.
For the crust, you start by adding all the dough ingredients, except for the milk, and mixing until it forms small crumbles. Then add the milk a tablespoon at a time until a good dough-like consistency forms. I ended up adding 4 tablespoons of milk.
Then press it into the pan, covering the bottom of the pan and pressing it up the sides of the pan. This is one of the few recipes I have ever used that doesn’t call for you to bake the crust before adding the filling. If you wanted to, you could pop it in the oven for 10 minutes or so while you are mixing up the filling.
So I know I said most of my recipes wouldn’t require a trip to the import store, but you’ll need to have evaporated milk on hand for this recipe. I found this for about 7 元, so hopefully you can find it relatively inexpensive as well. Our kitchen still lacks a can opener, which is typically not a problem, but good thing for this handy-dandy swiss army knife that helps get the job done.
The recipe calls for one 15 oz can of pumpkin, which is about 2 heaping cups of fresh pumpkin. This doesn’t have to be exact.
As far as the pumpkin pie spice goes, you may or may not have any. We had some up until about 2 weeks ago, so I found a homemade version that calls for:
–4 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
–4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
–4 teaspoons ground ginger
–3 teaspoons allspice
I have found cinnamon sticks at just about every market I’ve been to. If you have a coffee grinder or a blender attachment that grinds well you can grind your own spices. And I have found ground ginger at grocery stores and xiǎo mài bùs with all the other seasonings. I didn’t have allspice so I had to leave it out but the flavor of the pie still turned out well.
Pour the pie patter into the pan, bake, let the pie cool for at least and hour and then ENJOY!
Pastry
1 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 to 4 tablespoons fat-free (skim) milk
Filling
3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (about 2 cups fresh pumpkin)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated fat-free milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Directions
1) Heat oven to 425°F (About 220°C) . In medium bowl, mix flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the oil with fork until well mixed. Stir in milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl. Shape pastry into a ball, using your hands. Press pastry in bottom and up side of 9-inch glass pie plate.
2) In medium bowl, beat egg whites slightly with wire whisk or egg beater. Beat in remaining filling ingredients. Pour filling into pastry-lined pie plate; place on oven rack. Bake 15 minutes.
3) Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175 °C). Bake about 45 minutes longer or until you can insert a knife and pull it out cleanly.
4) Let pie cool for at least 1 hour before serving. After cooling, pie can remain at room temperature up to 5 more hours, then should be covered and refrigerated.
My China Kitchen 