Text 31843, 126 rader
Skriven 2015-10-10 18:56:00 av Dave Drum (90026.cooks)
  Kommentar till text 31798 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
Ärende: Re: A tale of pumpkins
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-=> Dale Shipp wrote to All <=-

 DS> This is a story that started more than a year ago.  We were on a coach
 DS> tour of the Ohio Amish country.  At one stop, we had a lunch which
 DS> consisted of a pumpkin/apple soup and a sandwich.  Although we tend not
 DS> to care much for squash, this had a very nice flavor and was very good.

 DS> Fast forward to this week.  We were in our local Safeway and noticed a
 DS> bin of "pie pumpkins" at $1.99 each.  They ranged in size from about
 DS> two pounds to a little over four pounds.  We decided to have a go at
 DS> replicating that soup.  Gail researched and found a recipe that
 DS> "looked" good, so we bought a smaller 2 1/2 pound pumpkin and a couple
 DS> of granny smith apples.

 DS> I had never tried to carve a pumpkin for halloween.  I can now say that
 DS> I wonder how one does it without using a power saw.  This pumpkin shell
 
Very ripe pumpkins are somewhat easier. My girlfriend and her daughter used to
carve up huge pumpkins for all hallow's eve with little hassle. But, they
bought their squash from a local "pumpkin patch". Greener pumpkins - or acorn
squash can be quite hard to deal with as you found out. I usually deal with
acorn squash (which I adore, halved horizontally and baked with butter and
brown sugar) by letting them sit on the counter for at least a week - to as
much as two weeks.

 DS> was so hard that my knives would not make a dent in it until after we
 DS> had put the pumpkin into the microwave for several minutes.  Even then
 DS> the shell was hard enough to make it quite an effort.  I was reminded
 DS> of using a hammer and a slim jim crowbar when we opened a durian once.
 DS> Even after it was opened, there was the job of getting the seeds and
 DS> "stuff" out of the center and separating the pulp from the shell.
 DS> After that was all done, we got less than one pound of pumpkin flesh
 DS> out of the two pound plus of pumpkin.

 DS> The next step in the recipe said to roast the pumpkin flesh and the
 DS> apples in the oven for an hour.   WRONG.  That resulted in well over
 DS> cooked semi-black bits.

Try baking the punkerpan *BEFORE* cutting into it. VIZ: "Making your own
pumpkin puree this year? (It's easy, and much tastier than the canned stuff, in
my humble opinion.) Here's one hassle-saving tip for roasting pumpkins: Roast
the pumpkin whole, at least part of the way.

If you've ever cut a pumpkin open, especially a large specimen, you know that
it can be tough going. You have to be careful of your hands, and use your
biggest knife. Yes, pie pumpkins are smaller and easier to handle than the
oversized Jack-o-Lanterns, but still â€ö I'm always a little afraid for my
digits.

I was, that is, until I learned that it's so much easier to just throw the
whole pumpkin straight in the oven. Here are my three small pie pumpkins,
[PICTURE] tossed straight into my hot oven. I didn't even bother to cut off
their stems.

After about 45 minutes, the pumpkins will be soft enough to cut open easily.
(Just beware of escaping steam.) Cut them open, scrape out the seeds and
strings, and return the cleaned halves to the oven on a baking sheet. Bake for
another 30 minutes, or until the flesh can be easily scraped from the shell." 

http://www.thekitchn.com/tip-bake-pumpkins-before-you-s-133121

 DS> SO, back to the store to get another pumpkin -- this time electing for
 DS> a larger one.  Same drill with trying to get into it.  I had some
 DS> success by pounding on the back of the knife with a hammer to get
 DS> through the hard shell.  Started all over with roasting -- this time
 DS> under Gail's watchful eye.  Ran the motor boat through the mixture to
 DS> pulverize it, added the recommended spices, and gave a taste test.  It
 DS> was absolutely the most bland and tasteless thing we have ever tried to
 DS> make.  In the end, two pounds of pumpkin/apple mush went down the
 DS> disposal.
 
Sorry for your luck. Squash (even MLoo's hated zucchini) can be quite
onderful.

 DS> If we ever get a hankering to try something like this soup again, we
 DS> will definitely go with canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling).  It
 DS> was far too much work for a poor result.

The Libby comapany thanks you for that sentiment. Their processing facility in
Morton, IL (about 70 miles north of me) is the largest in the world.

Here is my recipe for doing acorn squash in a nuker.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Butter-Nut Acorn Squash
 Categories: Squash, Breads, Nuts, Herbs
      Yield: 4 servings

      2    (1 lb ea) acorn squash
    1/3 c  Butter
    1/2 c  Fine bread crumbs
    1/3 c  Chopped walnuts; English or
           - American (black)
      6 tb Brown sugar; packed
    1/2 ts Salt
           Ground nutmeg

  In 2 cup glass measure, melt butter on maximum power for
  one minute. 

  Wash squash, pierce and place on a microwave safe plate.
  Cook on maximum power for two minutes. Let cool a bit.
  Cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and fibers. Place
  cut side down on 12" x 7" x 2" microwave safe baking
  dish. Cook on maximum power for six minutes.

  While squash is cooking, add remaining ingredients to
  melted butter and mix well. 

  Turn squash cut side up; divide crumb mixture among 4
  halves. Cook, covered, on maximum power 6 to 8 minutes or
  until squash is tender. Remove cover and let stand 5
  minutes before serving.

  Makes 4 servings.

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen

MMMMM

... Are cranberries healthy?  I've never heard one complain.
 
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