This purée can substitute for an equal amount of solid-packed canned pumpkin in recipes. Storing in 1 or 2 cup measures makes it easy to add to any recipe.
Ingredients:
1 pumpkin or winter squash
canola oil, as desired
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 375. Rinse pumpkin before baking to remove dirt and wipe dry. Split the pumpkin in half and remove seeds and fibers. Save seeds for toasting, if desired.
Rub the cut surfaces of the pumpkin with canola oil and place the halves (cut-sidedown) in a roasting pan. Add about a cup of water to the pan.
Bake until pumpkin flesh is tender when pierced. (Pie pumpkins take about 30 minutes. Large squash may take up to 90 minutes. Check regularly).
Remove the pumpkin halves from the oven and let cool. Scoop out the baked flesh.
Purée it in a food mill, food processor fitted with a chopping blade or mash by hand.
If the purée seems watery, place it in a sieve or colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Set it over a deep bowl. Cover and let drain for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Photo by Alison Penn
