A pumpkin question

[maxfox426]

Okay, so I have a leftover pumpkin, and I'm trying to decide what to do with it.

My first, obvious choice is to bake with it, but I'm not sure I should. LOL! Justin picked it out at a you-pick pumpkin patch. It's probably 8-10" in diameter, and still intact (aka: not carved).

I have been baking with pumpkins already this season (pie, bread, pancakes, etc.), but I've been buying the actual "sugar pie pumpkins" for that purpose. I highly doubt that this pumpkin is the same as those, but it's only a little bit bigger than what you expect from a pie pumpkin.

So, what do you say? Do all pumpkins bake alike? Or is there a better application for this fella?

Basically, my only real goal is to not let this pumpkin go to waste.

[Renee750il]

It's not going to taste the same as the Sugarpies, you've got that figured right

You could make something savory instead of sweet, or pumpkin custard, even soup.

[maxfox426]

Originally Posted by Renee750il

It's not going to taste the same as the Sugarpies, you've got that figured right

You could make something savory instead of sweet, or pumpkin custard, even soup.

Ahhh SOUP! Thank you! I had totally forgotten about that option, and I've ben meaning to give it a try.

Anybody have a recipe recommendation for pumpkin soup?

[Renee750il]

I'd start with baking the pumpkin.

For the soup base, chicken stock, a splash of lemon juice. Season with salt, mace, add heavy cream, other seasonings to your taste, maybe a little honey. Different pumpkins are going to need different seasonings anyway.

Run it through a blender until it's smooth.

[Romy]

You can also bake the soup IN the pumpkin. Hollow it out like you're going to carve it and save the "lid".

One of my friends made an amazing cheesy oniony potato soup with tons of mozzarella cheese, potatoes, and green onions and baked it in a pumpkin. Best. Soup. Ever. She said she just put all the stuff together in the pumpkin, stuck it in the oven with the lid on, and baked it for a while until it was done. The pumpkin was cooked too and was pretty delicious with the soup.

[skittledoo]

Another thing that tastes amazing baked in a pumpkin is chili

[Gempress]

IMO, winter squash is very interchangeable. Any recipe that calls for butternut or acorn squash will work just as well with pumpkin. I have a wonderful recipe for Puerto Rican-style beans, simmered with pumpkin, potatoes, ham, tomatoes and cilantro.

You could still use that pumpkin just as well for dessert applications. The only difference is that you might have to add more sugar to compensate for the less sweet pumpkin. Sugar is sugar, whether it's naturally occurring in the pumpkin or added by you during the cooking process. The result and overall sugar content is the same.

[Lizmo]

Make a flower pot! They marked all the pumpkins and flowers down at Walmart recently. I made 7 of these (with different flowers) for under $14!

[maxfox426]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am going to give it a go at pumpkin soup in the next day or two, and I'll let you know how it turns out.

Lizmo, that flower pot idea is cute! I might consider that for next year's decorations...

[yoko]

I can't find the page right now but there use to be a really good pumpkin stew I made in my crockpot.