Pumpkin Puree Without the Blender

Pumpkin Puree Without the Blender

There is nothing like trying to eat around six pumpkins of various sizes that have been placed around your already seasonally decorated dinning room table.  They do not add to the decor, they where simply placed there as a resting place as we brought in the rest of the groceries a week ago and they never were moved.  

It only took a day or two for everyone to get use to the idea of the pumkins bign on the table.  Instead of a family style dinner, I would set up our meals like a buffet in the center of your dinning room table with zero order or decorating sense. Everything's just there.  Trying to pass the peas and roast beast (aka beef).  It's what we call it ever since watching some movie, but I can't remember which one...but I think it was the Grinch.) 

It's a good thing I have a really big table to host 9 people for meals.  Otherwise, I might feel bad that a few of those in my family would have to use the pumpkin as a place setting.  I don't know, I figure eating off the pumpkins might be a bit fun for the two year old and perhaps the 4 year old, but a bit awkward for the rest of us that are well...how can I say it? Well mannered and civilized?...Okay, yeah right. 

Now that it's just about the middle of October, I feel the need to bake. Though I do my best not to go hog wild on making everything pumpkin, especially the same recipes over and over again, I do go out of my way to make sure I have enough pumpkins for decorating and for making pumpkin puree, which I happily store in my freezer for just when the mood hits to bake anything pumpkiny.  

I have been asked how do I make my own pumpkin puree, and I have to say, it is one of the quickest and easiest things to do...I actually recruit the kids to help...but not this time, because time was of the essence and I really wanted to get the photo taken before I lost all the good light in the kitchen.  For any bloggers out there you know what's that like, right? 

Anyway, here is the skinny of how I create my pumpkin puree without taking out my blender which requires me to add water and then the annoying part of taking it apart to clean it.  

You ready?  Great...

You Will Need: 

Sugar pumpkin (really any pumpkin but, small enough to fit in the oven)

Foil

Cookie Sheet

Knife

Large metal spoon 

Large bowl

Ziploc bags

Sharpie Pen (or any marker will do - consider that it needs to be durable to withstand the freezer) 

 What To Do: 

First things first..preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Next wash your pumpkin to rid of any dirt or any other gross stuff, like bugs or I don't know...just gross stuff.  Then line your cookie sheet with foil.  Place your dry pumpkin in the center of the pan and place in the oven for approximately 30 to 45 minutes, or until skin is a light brownish color.  

It you are not sure about the color, remove when the pumpkin is tender.  Simpy take a toothpick or skewer and poke it.  If it goes through easily, the pumpkin is ready to be removed from the oven.  

Pumpkin will have a burnt orange coloring and be tender to the touch. 

Once you have placed the pan on the counter, cut the top off and then cut into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the pumpkin.  

Use the metal spoon to lightly scoop out the seeds and the inside mushy pulp. 

Notice the darker orange pulp the seeds are attached to?
That is what you will remove with the spoon.

After you have removed all the seeds, scrape your pumpkin to remove all the pulp and place it in a mixing bowl.

Once the pulp is removed it will be really stringy...well because it is.  You can use it like this, but to be honest when you do, everything you  bake will have that pumpkin string texture running through it.  So, this is where I like to take out my handheld mixer (electric of course) and go at it usually on the second speed.  

Sometimes, I will use a spatula to scrape the sides to ensure that I've pureed every bit of pumpkin pulp.  

Half sort of pureed and half not...

It usually takes me anywhere from one to two minutes to puree a the pulp to a nice smooth consistency.

Tell me that doesn't look store bought...
The perfect Consistency

Since I do not wait until my pumpkins have cooled down to scrape the pulp out and puree with the hand mixer, once I have reached the right puree consistency I will let the bowl sit on the counter with waxed paper covering the bowl (that's just to keep any pesky flying things out but let air flow through without letting water in from condensation, which will change the consistency.  

After the puree has cooled for about a half hour to forty minutes, I will place two cups of puree into a freezer storage bag.  I'll then I will write on the bag the content and how much is in the bag for future use.  

Well BAM!  There it is easy peazy!