My daughter's fifth-grade teacher is very very sweet (in addition to being an awesome teacher). She writes me very nice thank-you notes for everything I give her. When I sent muffins to the fifth-grade team, she told me how they all appreciated them at their team meeting, and how the other teachers were so pleased and enjoyed them so much. When I gave her cookies, she told me that her husband had eaten them all in one sitting. When I sent in fudge at Christmas, she thanked me profusely and told me that she was impressed with the variety.
Notice anything amiss? I didn't either...
Until I learned that she is a vegan. Which means she didn't. eat. any. of. the. stuff. I. made.
She didn't want to seem unappreciative, and she didn't want to lie... so she passed it on to her friends and family, and reported back to me how much they loved it all. It was a very gracious way to accept the gifts, in my opinion.
So, this week I decided to make it up to her. I turned one of my recipes for pumpkin bread into a vegan butternut squash version, by leaving out eggs and milk, and using vegetable shortening and apple sauce instead. Then, because the batter seemed a little thick still, I added two shredded pears. The juice from the pears worked well in making the batter seem more right.
For your vegan needs, here it is!
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
1 cup butternut squash puree
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 pears, cored and shredded
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf (or 5 mini loaf) pans with vegetable cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine applesauce, sugar, squash, shortening, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
Fold the dry ingredients into the squash mixture, and fold to combine. Add the pears and stir just until combined.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is beginning to brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let sit in the pans for about 10 minutes, and then turn out on a rack to cool.
Showing posts with label butternut squash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butternut squash. Show all posts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Pumpkin cheddar muffins
When I was a kid, we used to go fishing with my uncle. We caught mainly perch, which were pretty easy to catch in Lake Michigan. Since there was much more catching happening than there was waiting for a bite, it made for a very fun day. We learned how to bait our hooks, how to cast, how to unhook our catch, how to string it up on a line. I got out of learning how to clean the fish, but I don't think my big brother was so lucky. There were enough fish to keep busy and feel successful, but still it felt like a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill when you did catch one.
Where we camp every summer, there is a creek that is stocked with ... umm, I think trout? (I am not a fisher, and I am definitely not well versed in fish species). Anyway, the creek is stocked with fish on a schedule, meaning that the fish are deposited at specific spots, on specific days, at a specific time.
In other words, if you want to catch a trout in this creek, you go to the spot where the fish have been released, just after they are deposited there. It makes it pretty easy to catch a fish, since you know that there are tons of fresh, befuddled, fish all in one spot. The poor little fish, who just came from a hatchery, gets to swim his little heart out in a big pool, for just a few minutes, when he finds a big juicy worm (or a smear of weird-looking florescent bait stuff) floating in front of him. He takes a big bite of this opportune treat, and some fisherman gets dinner.
It hardly seems fair. It really doesn't seem like sport at all at this point. I really don't see how you can be proud of outsmarting a trout, let alone a trout that has been put there just for you to catch him.
And that is sort of how I feel about eating meat. I am certainly not opposed to eating meat. I have no problem at all with consuming animal. I strongly believe the human is meant to be an omnivore. However, I also strongly believe in buying sustainable, fairly-treated meat.
It doesn't really seem fair, though, to raise a chicken or a cow in a box barely larger than himself, and then march him up the chute at the slaughter house. There are so many things wrong with that. I know that even if a cow is raised in an open field, eating and drinking a natural cow diet, and getting natural cow fresh air and exercise and a real cow life, he still doesn't stand a chance. He is still going to be forced to the slaughter house. Short of making myself a bow and arrow and heading out to the plains, I can't think of a way to make it a fair fight between myself and the animals I consume. However, some time passes between a cow's birth and his slaughter, and it seems like he ought to at least enjoy the life he does have.
With the abundance on vegetables, and the price of free-range organic meat, there are far more vegetarian days in my house than there are meat days.
Tonight, we are eating a pot of vegetarian chili, along with these butternut squash - cheddar muffins. It was originally a pumpkin muffin, and I got the recipe from A Sweet Swiper, and she got the recipe from Chocolate and Chakra, and she got them from the book Baked Explorations. Rather than make you backtrack through all that, and since I made a couple changes, I am going to just give you my version of the recipe here.
These muffins are delicious! The squash and the sugar add some sweetness, but the cayenne, black pepper, and sharp cheddar cheese balance them with a punch of spice and savory-ness. They make a perfect side dish with chili, soup, or stew.
And while we are on the topic of butternut squash, look for lots more recipes this week! I got a butternut squash the size of a hippopotamus, and with it I made these muffins, 5 loaves of "pumpkin" bread, a batch of "pumpkin" waffles, and a batch of "pumpkin" cupcakes. Phew!
Pumpkin -- or Butternut -- Cheddar Muffins
1 cup butternut squash or pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups (about 4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar
In a large bowl, whisk together the squash and yogurt. Add the eggs and butter and whisk until combined.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and brown sugar.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and fold until just combined. Fold in three-quarters of the cheese.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top of the muffins. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the muffin pan cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out the muffins. Serve them warm. Makes 15 muffins.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
homemade butternut squash ravioli
I made a few New Year's resolutions this year...
I thought about things like never eating meat, or always riding my bike to work. I thought about promising myself that I would give up sugar or exercise three times a week.
I know, though, that those things would last for maybe a month or two.
Instead, I set a couple of goals for things I would like to do before 2012 is over.
One is to try to establish a vacation fund. One of me kids has never even been on an airplane, and the other two were babies the last time it happened. We go camping a couple times a year, but I would like to take them somewhere a bit farther afield. The kids and I are thinking of Washington DC.
Another is to try making yogurt and cheese. I keep reading that it really is the simplest thing ever, and that if I try it once I will never buy yogurt again. We'll see if that pans out! I have nearly a year to work up the courage.
One goal I can already cross off the list was to try making my own pasta. It was awesome! I'm not saying that I am going to quit buying pasta (because at a couple of dollars for a pound, there is just no reason not to go ahead and buy it instead of making it). But I am saying that once in a while, for something fun to do, I am going to make my own. It isn't difficult, it didn't require any ingredients I didn't already have, and I thought the results were delicious.
I LOVE ravioli stuffed with butternut squash, and I happened to have a large butternut squash from my AHO box this week, so I went for it.
I started with this recipe from Family Fun Magazine.
All told, it took about two hours from start to finish, although not all of that was active time. I wouldn't do this on an ordinary weeknight, that's for sure! But I had a lazy, relaxed morning at home, and my daughter helped me with cutting and folding the pasta. We had a good time working together; I guess the process was just as important as the product!
Here is how to make the filling:
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
Preheat the oven to 350.
Peel a butternut squash, remove the stringy, seed-y stuff, and cut into 1-inch cubes. You will need about 2 cups of these cubes for the ravioli... I went ahead and roasted it all. I put two cups on one baking sheet, and left them plain for pureeing into ravioli filling. I put the other half on another baking sheet, tossed them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Those, I snacked on all morning while I made the ravioli! Just be sure to line both sheets with foil, or you will have really stuck squash and a really tough pan to clean.
Place the squash in a single layer, spaced out a bit, on the baking sheet. Roast for about half an hour, or until a fork can easily pierce the squash pieces.
In a food processor or blender, puree the squash with all of the other ingredients. You want a nice, smooth, even consistency.
While the squash is roasting in the oven, you can start making the pasta.
Ravioli Pasta:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
Making sure you have a nice clean counter, mound the flour directly on your work surface, and make a well in the middle of it. Lightly beat the eggs and salt together, and then pour into the middle of the flour. Using a fork, sonly and carefully incorporate the flour into the egg, until there is no dry flour left. You can then get your hands (and a dough scraper) in there, and knead and mix it, until it is all mixed into one smooth, round, ball.
Divide the dough into halves, and form each half into a disk that is 1/2 inch thick. Wrap each of these in plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes.
After the dough had rested, take one disk, halve it again, and roll it out. It is very easy dough to work with... it doesn't tear or stick. Just make sure to lightly flour your work surface and the rolling pin. Keep rolling and rolling it, until is is only as thick as a dime.
Once it is rolled out, you can cut it. I used a cookie cutter that is about 2 inches across. It occurred to me later that it would be just as nice, and perhaps easier (with less waste) to cut it into squares, using a knife. Either way is pretty simple and effective. If you like circles, use a cookie or biscuit cutter, or even the top of a drinking glass. If you like squares, then by golly, cut squares.
Do this again with the remaining dough. In all, you should roll and cut four sections of dough. I got 14 circles cut out of each piece of dough, which will make 7 ravioli. So, all in all, I got 28 ravioli.
Once your pasta is rolled and cut, and your squash roasted and pureed, let's put them together!
Pick up a pasta circle, and using your fingers, pinch it all over a bit, to make it just a teeny bit thinner and bigger. By all means, though, do not try to stretch it. Your dough will break in half, and you will go lay down and cry.
Once it is a bit larger and flatter, you are ready to fill. Dip a finger in some water, and wet the dough all around the edges, in order to form a sort of glue for holding the two halves together. Place about a 1/2 teaspoon of filling onto the dough, in the middle of the wet edges. Pinch one more circle, and put it on top. Using a fork, crimp the pasta all around the edges. This will seal it all up nicely!
These ravioli can now be refrigerated for a day or two, if you want. Or you can just boil them now.
Put them into a few quarts of boiling water. They will sink at first, then slowly rise to the top. Give them about 5 minutes after they float, to make sure the pasta is cooked through.
While they are boiling, melt a stick of butter over low to medium heat. Add some sage (either slivers of fresh sage, or a half-teaspoon or so of dried sage powder). Let it all cook until it is browned and smells delicious.
Lift the pasta out of the water with a slotted spoon, and serve with a bit of the browned butter drizzled over it.
I thought about things like never eating meat, or always riding my bike to work. I thought about promising myself that I would give up sugar or exercise three times a week.
I know, though, that those things would last for maybe a month or two.
Instead, I set a couple of goals for things I would like to do before 2012 is over.
One is to try to establish a vacation fund. One of me kids has never even been on an airplane, and the other two were babies the last time it happened. We go camping a couple times a year, but I would like to take them somewhere a bit farther afield. The kids and I are thinking of Washington DC.
Another is to try making yogurt and cheese. I keep reading that it really is the simplest thing ever, and that if I try it once I will never buy yogurt again. We'll see if that pans out! I have nearly a year to work up the courage.
One goal I can already cross off the list was to try making my own pasta. It was awesome! I'm not saying that I am going to quit buying pasta (because at a couple of dollars for a pound, there is just no reason not to go ahead and buy it instead of making it). But I am saying that once in a while, for something fun to do, I am going to make my own. It isn't difficult, it didn't require any ingredients I didn't already have, and I thought the results were delicious.
I LOVE ravioli stuffed with butternut squash, and I happened to have a large butternut squash from my AHO box this week, so I went for it.
I started with this recipe from Family Fun Magazine.
All told, it took about two hours from start to finish, although not all of that was active time. I wouldn't do this on an ordinary weeknight, that's for sure! But I had a lazy, relaxed morning at home, and my daughter helped me with cutting and folding the pasta. We had a good time working together; I guess the process was just as important as the product!
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
Preheat the oven to 350.
Peel a butternut squash, remove the stringy, seed-y stuff, and cut into 1-inch cubes. You will need about 2 cups of these cubes for the ravioli... I went ahead and roasted it all. I put two cups on one baking sheet, and left them plain for pureeing into ravioli filling. I put the other half on another baking sheet, tossed them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Those, I snacked on all morning while I made the ravioli! Just be sure to line both sheets with foil, or you will have really stuck squash and a really tough pan to clean.
Place the squash in a single layer, spaced out a bit, on the baking sheet. Roast for about half an hour, or until a fork can easily pierce the squash pieces.
In a food processor or blender, puree the squash with all of the other ingredients. You want a nice, smooth, even consistency.
While the squash is roasting in the oven, you can start making the pasta.
Ravioli Pasta:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
Making sure you have a nice clean counter, mound the flour directly on your work surface, and make a well in the middle of it. Lightly beat the eggs and salt together, and then pour into the middle of the flour. Using a fork, sonly and carefully incorporate the flour into the egg, until there is no dry flour left. You can then get your hands (and a dough scraper) in there, and knead and mix it, until it is all mixed into one smooth, round, ball.
Divide the dough into halves, and form each half into a disk that is 1/2 inch thick. Wrap each of these in plastic wrap and let them rest for 30 minutes.
After the dough had rested, take one disk, halve it again, and roll it out. It is very easy dough to work with... it doesn't tear or stick. Just make sure to lightly flour your work surface and the rolling pin. Keep rolling and rolling it, until is is only as thick as a dime.
Once it is rolled out, you can cut it. I used a cookie cutter that is about 2 inches across. It occurred to me later that it would be just as nice, and perhaps easier (with less waste) to cut it into squares, using a knife. Either way is pretty simple and effective. If you like circles, use a cookie or biscuit cutter, or even the top of a drinking glass. If you like squares, then by golly, cut squares.
Do this again with the remaining dough. In all, you should roll and cut four sections of dough. I got 14 circles cut out of each piece of dough, which will make 7 ravioli. So, all in all, I got 28 ravioli.
Once your pasta is rolled and cut, and your squash roasted and pureed, let's put them together!
Pick up a pasta circle, and using your fingers, pinch it all over a bit, to make it just a teeny bit thinner and bigger. By all means, though, do not try to stretch it. Your dough will break in half, and you will go lay down and cry.
Once it is a bit larger and flatter, you are ready to fill. Dip a finger in some water, and wet the dough all around the edges, in order to form a sort of glue for holding the two halves together. Place about a 1/2 teaspoon of filling onto the dough, in the middle of the wet edges. Pinch one more circle, and put it on top. Using a fork, crimp the pasta all around the edges. This will seal it all up nicely!
These ravioli can now be refrigerated for a day or two, if you want. Or you can just boil them now.
Put them into a few quarts of boiling water. They will sink at first, then slowly rise to the top. Give them about 5 minutes after they float, to make sure the pasta is cooked through.
While they are boiling, melt a stick of butter over low to medium heat. Add some sage (either slivers of fresh sage, or a half-teaspoon or so of dried sage powder). Let it all cook until it is browned and smells delicious.
Lift the pasta out of the water with a slotted spoon, and serve with a bit of the browned butter drizzled over it.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Butternut Squash Pie
Merry Christmas to you all! I realize I haven't posted anything in a while... because I have been too busy baking, wrapping, baking, unwrapping, eating, drinking, being merry, baking, hugging, thanking, and cooking.
I'm a bit exhausted and feeling a little bit Christmas hungover, but I would go back to two weeks ago and do it all again if I could. I can't begin to explain how much Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year! I could never sustain the frenzy of activity and energy that happens in December for another minute, but I do wish we could all hold on to the joy of thinking about others, giving thoughtful gifts, surprising those we love, and generally hoping and wondering and being amazed. I love to see what happens when we all put our best selves forward, try to do for each other, and enjoy the moments we have together.
For Christmas, we weren't sure if we should expect a crowd of 10 or a crowd of 20 at my parents' house. Of course, I had to bake for at least 30. Just in case, you know, Santa stuck around for dinner. Or accidentally left some elves behind.
As it turns out, there ended up being too much dessert. As in too much by about 3 pies or so. That's okay, though, because they will be well appreciated in the staff room at my mother's library this week.
First up, I thought I would make a pumpkin pie (inspired by the line from the Christmas carol "When they pass around the coffee And the pumpkin pie, It'll nearly be like a picture print, By Currier and Ives...")
I mean, who doesn't want their Christmas to look like this?
Okay, I see no pumpkin pie or coffee in this picture print. Nor could I even find a picture print by Currier and Ives that contains coffee or pumpkin pie. But if I were out ice skating, I would probably want some coffee. And some pumpkin pie. Mostly because that would be an excuse to sit on a sofa instead of falling all over the ice.
So anyway, since Currier and Ives didn't have any pumpkin pie, I guess it is fitting that we didn't either. We, on the other hand, had Butternut Squash Pie. I think butternut squash is a perfect substitute for
pumpkin in most recipes, and in pie it particularly makes for creamier results.
This recipe is the one my grandmother used to use. In her cookbook, she had listed her preferred ingredients for the pie, with the note that the directions from the label on the can of Libby's pumpkin.
I know there are a million pumpkin pie recipes out there, but I think that this one has all I could ever want... just the right amount of sugar and spice, enough squash flavor, and ingredients I always have on hand.
Here you go!
Butternut Squash Pie
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 cup butternut squash puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Either make or defrost a pie crust and place into the pie pan. I use the recipe from the handy Better Homes and Gardens cookbook... you know the one with the red and white checkered cover that surely someone gave you as a wedding gift? That's the one!
Preheat the oven to 425.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and then combine with the eggs. Add the squash, butter, salt, and milk. Pour into the pie crust.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350. Continue to bake it for another 50-60 minutes (until the entire pipe is set, and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean).
I'm a bit exhausted and feeling a little bit Christmas hungover, but I would go back to two weeks ago and do it all again if I could. I can't begin to explain how much Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year! I could never sustain the frenzy of activity and energy that happens in December for another minute, but I do wish we could all hold on to the joy of thinking about others, giving thoughtful gifts, surprising those we love, and generally hoping and wondering and being amazed. I love to see what happens when we all put our best selves forward, try to do for each other, and enjoy the moments we have together.
For Christmas, we weren't sure if we should expect a crowd of 10 or a crowd of 20 at my parents' house. Of course, I had to bake for at least 30. Just in case, you know, Santa stuck around for dinner. Or accidentally left some elves behind.
As it turns out, there ended up being too much dessert. As in too much by about 3 pies or so. That's okay, though, because they will be well appreciated in the staff room at my mother's library this week.
First up, I thought I would make a pumpkin pie (inspired by the line from the Christmas carol "When they pass around the coffee And the pumpkin pie, It'll nearly be like a picture print, By Currier and Ives...")
I mean, who doesn't want their Christmas to look like this?
Okay, I see no pumpkin pie or coffee in this picture print. Nor could I even find a picture print by Currier and Ives that contains coffee or pumpkin pie. But if I were out ice skating, I would probably want some coffee. And some pumpkin pie. Mostly because that would be an excuse to sit on a sofa instead of falling all over the ice.
So anyway, since Currier and Ives didn't have any pumpkin pie, I guess it is fitting that we didn't either. We, on the other hand, had Butternut Squash Pie. I think butternut squash is a perfect substitute for
pumpkin in most recipes, and in pie it particularly makes for creamier results.
This recipe is the one my grandmother used to use. In her cookbook, she had listed her preferred ingredients for the pie, with the note that the directions from the label on the can of Libby's pumpkin.
I know there are a million pumpkin pie recipes out there, but I think that this one has all I could ever want... just the right amount of sugar and spice, enough squash flavor, and ingredients I always have on hand.
Here you go!
Butternut Squash Pie
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 cup butternut squash puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Either make or defrost a pie crust and place into the pie pan. I use the recipe from the handy Better Homes and Gardens cookbook... you know the one with the red and white checkered cover that surely someone gave you as a wedding gift? That's the one!
Preheat the oven to 425.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and then combine with the eggs. Add the squash, butter, salt, and milk. Pour into the pie crust.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350. Continue to bake it for another 50-60 minutes (until the entire pipe is set, and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean).
Monday, December 12, 2011
pumpkin (or squash) butter
Do you shop at Trader Joe's? I have heard stories that some people in our great nation don't live close enough to a Trader Joe's to make shopping there feasible. I give my deepest sympathies to any of you who don't have Joe in your neighborhood.
The greatest thing about Trader Joe's is not that they have great prices (although they do). It's not that they have a good selection of organic or gluten-free or nitrate-free or sugar-free (although they do). It's not that they have a whole bunch of convenience foods -- think frozen pizza or pre-made cheesecake -- that manage to still be made of real ingredients (although they do). The great thing about Trader Joe's is that they do all of these things, and they manage to have an absolutely astounding variety of products. Every time I am in the store, there is something I have never noticed before. And any time I talk about Trader Joe's with a friend, I learn about their favorite product, which also is quite often something I have never noticed before. I could spend hours in that place perusing the aisles, finding all manner of yummy treats I have never tried.
As a matter of fact, I would love to hear what is on your shopping list at Trader Joe's. I am always interested in hearing what else I need to look for there... leave a comment if you know of something I need to try!
One of the favorite items that my family discovered in Trader Joe's is the pumpkin butter. It is a spread made out of pumpkin and spices, that is great on toast, English muffins, bagels, etc. My kids also love it in place on jam on their peanut butter sandwiches. I have used it to make a quick dessert (rolled into puff pastry and sliced into rounds before baking). It tastes like having a little bit of pumpkin pie with your morning coffee.
Trader Joe's only has the pumpkin butter available in the fall, and we used to stock up on about 10 jars of it when we found it on the shelves, in order to last us through to when it came back the following year.
And then I started to get the Abundant Harvest Organics box. In the AHO box, the fall brings pumpkins. And quite a few butternut squashes. And even a kabocha squash, which is something I had never heard of before. And, as it turns out, these three squashes can pretty much be substituted one for the other. They aren't exactly the same, of course, but they work the same way. The flavors are very slightly different, but I like them all. I have made "pumpkin" pie out of all three of them. I have made "pumpkin" cookies out of all three of them. And, to my great joy, I have found that I can make pumpkin butter out of all three of them as well. It is pretty easy to make, once you have pureed the squash. It just takes a few ingredients, and a little while standing at the stove, stirring and simmering.
A quick note about the kabocha squash... We got one in our box a few weeks ago, and it terrified me. It was big (the size of a medium pumpkin). It was ugly (a sort of odd green color). It was hard (hard like a gourd almost). I couldn't imagine that anything good would come of it. As a matter of fact, I added it to the fall porch decorations and left it there a couple of weeks, happily nesting amongst the pumpkins. But a friend assured me that her mother had gotten one in a CSA box in Colorado, and that she loved it. SO if a friend's out-of-state mother likes kabocha squash, who am I to turn up my nose? I brought in back inside, roasted it, pureed it, and became smitten. The kabocha squash is sweeter and more flavorful than pumpkin. It roasts into a wonderfully soft consistency, and the puree is amazingly smooth and creamy. As a matter of fact, give a choice between a pumpkin and a kabocha, I would now choose the kabocha every time.
Anyway, I was sitting here with a pumpkin, a kabocha, and two large butternuts. That is a whole lot of squash. I roasted and pureed them all, and I made a kabocha pie and a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. However, I still had an immense amount of puree leftover. I combined it all and made "pumpkin" butter out of it. It made a whole bunch of pumpkin butter, so I was able to freeze several portions, and once again we will have enough to last us until squash season next year.
I would say that this recipe works equally well for any one or any combination of these squashes. Use whatever you have on hand, or pick your favorite. Or, if you prefer, you can buy canned puree. About one large can of pumpkin is what is needed for this recipe.
The greatest thing about Trader Joe's is not that they have great prices (although they do). It's not that they have a good selection of organic or gluten-free or nitrate-free or sugar-free (although they do). It's not that they have a whole bunch of convenience foods -- think frozen pizza or pre-made cheesecake -- that manage to still be made of real ingredients (although they do). The great thing about Trader Joe's is that they do all of these things, and they manage to have an absolutely astounding variety of products. Every time I am in the store, there is something I have never noticed before. And any time I talk about Trader Joe's with a friend, I learn about their favorite product, which also is quite often something I have never noticed before. I could spend hours in that place perusing the aisles, finding all manner of yummy treats I have never tried.
As a matter of fact, I would love to hear what is on your shopping list at Trader Joe's. I am always interested in hearing what else I need to look for there... leave a comment if you know of something I need to try!
One of the favorite items that my family discovered in Trader Joe's is the pumpkin butter. It is a spread made out of pumpkin and spices, that is great on toast, English muffins, bagels, etc. My kids also love it in place on jam on their peanut butter sandwiches. I have used it to make a quick dessert (rolled into puff pastry and sliced into rounds before baking). It tastes like having a little bit of pumpkin pie with your morning coffee.
Trader Joe's only has the pumpkin butter available in the fall, and we used to stock up on about 10 jars of it when we found it on the shelves, in order to last us through to when it came back the following year.
And then I started to get the Abundant Harvest Organics box. In the AHO box, the fall brings pumpkins. And quite a few butternut squashes. And even a kabocha squash, which is something I had never heard of before. And, as it turns out, these three squashes can pretty much be substituted one for the other. They aren't exactly the same, of course, but they work the same way. The flavors are very slightly different, but I like them all. I have made "pumpkin" pie out of all three of them. I have made "pumpkin" cookies out of all three of them. And, to my great joy, I have found that I can make pumpkin butter out of all three of them as well. It is pretty easy to make, once you have pureed the squash. It just takes a few ingredients, and a little while standing at the stove, stirring and simmering.
A quick note about the kabocha squash... We got one in our box a few weeks ago, and it terrified me. It was big (the size of a medium pumpkin). It was ugly (a sort of odd green color). It was hard (hard like a gourd almost). I couldn't imagine that anything good would come of it. As a matter of fact, I added it to the fall porch decorations and left it there a couple of weeks, happily nesting amongst the pumpkins. But a friend assured me that her mother had gotten one in a CSA box in Colorado, and that she loved it. SO if a friend's out-of-state mother likes kabocha squash, who am I to turn up my nose? I brought in back inside, roasted it, pureed it, and became smitten. The kabocha squash is sweeter and more flavorful than pumpkin. It roasts into a wonderfully soft consistency, and the puree is amazingly smooth and creamy. As a matter of fact, give a choice between a pumpkin and a kabocha, I would now choose the kabocha every time.
Anyway, I was sitting here with a pumpkin, a kabocha, and two large butternuts. That is a whole lot of squash. I roasted and pureed them all, and I made a kabocha pie and a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. However, I still had an immense amount of puree leftover. I combined it all and made "pumpkin" butter out of it. It made a whole bunch of pumpkin butter, so I was able to freeze several portions, and once again we will have enough to last us until squash season next year.
I would say that this recipe works equally well for any one or any combination of these squashes. Use whatever you have on hand, or pick your favorite. Or, if you prefer, you can buy canned puree. About one large can of pumpkin is what is needed for this recipe.
Pumpkin Butter
3 ½ cups pumpkin (or butternut or kabocha) puree
3/4 cup apple juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine squash puree, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. I am not sure about the acidity of this, so I can't recommend canning it. If you make a whole bunch, I suggest freezing it. It thaws quite nicely.
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