Recipes / Food - Drink

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Ea

I think *war time* stigma may be a French notion? It's my impression that the widespread use of pumpkins and winter squash may simply be more American.

It's difficult to say, but I've asked both my parents (born in '33) about pumpkin, and both are only aware of it as pickled pumpkin. That's also the only kind of pumpkin I saw as a child and until a few years ago (born in '72).

it's possible. i think france and north america do have different "common" vegetables. the difference with scandinavia could also be related to the fact that france is a more agricultural country. pumpkins were grown in family gardens (not only on farms, i mean) during the war and were one of the few (fresh) vegetables which remained relatively plentiful. that, combined with the fact that they take a long time to cook, could have made them unpopular during the glorious 30 and only start to raise an interest again now. i'm not sure ; this is my friend's theory, although it does make sense to me. i've never heard of pickled pumpkin, but i think many vegetables are most commonly eaten as pickles in some countries, particularly where the growing season is short.

I've only in recent years started to encounter fresh pumpkins at the grocer - and only hokkaido pumpkin and winter squash - and it's still a rare and seasonal vegetable. However, Scandinavia is very conservative with regards to vegetables, no doubt the short, cold summers have something to do with this, but changes in our vegetable diet tends to come really slow. Personally, I'm glad to have the choice between two kinds of pumpkin rather than none this Autumn - but then I also like to discover new recipes and new foods.

pumpkins here are very common. you usually buy just a segment of one, not the whole pumpkin, which is gigantic, unless it is the smaller green pumpkins (which might be the acorn squashes). many four seasons shops sell them pre-cleaned (seeds removed) and with some seasonings for soupes. i looked up hokkaido pumpkin and i think that is the english name for potimarron, and i thank you for that because i didn't know. those are quite new here ; only a few years ago they suddenly appeared and now they are everywhere, but 10 years ago they were totally unknown. i'm glad they're back because they are *delicious*. easily my favourite of all (although the butternut is a close second) ; i like to make them in soupe with chestnuts, and purée it after it's cooked with maybe a bit of cream.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by BenG

Pumpkin is usually used for dessert here in the U.S. I think it was Garrison Keillor that said the best pumpkin pie you ever ate isn't much different from the worst.

i love pumpkin pie. actually i doubt you could find a way to prepare pumpkin that i wouldn't like. when i visited my cousins in canada we had pumpkin pie twice, once homemade from a pumpkin we bought. my cousin gave me her recipe but i've not tried it yet. usually i make pumkin in soup.

[BenG]

Thanksgiving is next week, so I'll be having my share of pumpkin pie. (Not to mention sweet potato pie, pecan pie, and apple pie )

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by BenG

Thanksgiving is next week, so I'll be having my share of pumpkin pie. (Not to mention sweet potato pie, pecan pie, and apple pie )

oh wow, i'm so jealous ! please have an extra piece of pumpkin pie and think of me while you're eating it. i love pie. i really should learn how to make it. especially since pumpkin pie is unheard of over here.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

oh wow, i'm so jealous ! please have an extra piece of pumpkin pie and think of me while you're eating it. i love pie. i really should learn how to make it. especially since pumpkin pie is unheard of over here.

Pies aren't too bad to make (and with some you don't have to bother with blind baking the case first, either ). For shortcrust pastry, I've found mixing the fat (I use about 2/3 butter to 1/3 Trex (a white veggie margarine)) with the flour then leaving it in the freezer for about 15 minutes works wonders - I also chill the water and any other liquids, too.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Pies aren't too bad to make (and with some you don't have to bother with blind baking the case first, either ). For shortcrust pastry, I've found mixing the fat (I use about 2/3 butter to 1/3 Trex (a white veggie margarine)) with the flour then leaving it in the freezer for about 15 minutes works wonders - I also chill the water and any other liquids, too.

heh. i've found buying a pre-made, rolled-up crust pretty effective, personally. (yes, i am lazy. you sound surprised.) what do you think ? pumpkin pie using butternut squash instead of pumpkin ? would it be good ? i've got 3 of them right now...

[dreams]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

heh. i've found buying a pre-made, rolled-up crust pretty effective, personally. (yes, i am lazy. you sound surprised.) what do you think ? pumpkin pie using butternut squash instead of pumpkin ? would it be good ? i've got 3 of them right now...

Maybe... I found this recipe..

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Better-...ie/Detail.aspx

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by dreams

Maybe... I found this recipe..

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Better-...ie/Detail.aspx

nice ! looks not even too complicated ! i will definitely try it out ! thank you !

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i looked up the acorn squash ; it looks like the green pumpkins to me, and it turns out it's in the Cucurbita pepo family which is the same as the green pumpkins and as the pâtisson (pattypan). i just tried a pâtisson (the four seasons guy recommended it since i love the butternut) but i'm not so much a fan, although i suspect it can be good cooked differently. however if you don't like butternut because it's too sweet you should try the pattypan, it's not as sweet. plus they're so pretty.

if it is the same as pattypan here, small, fits in the palm, great for salads, sauteeing, or just eating raw, then yes, I know it well, plant it often and eat it whenever I can!

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

it's possible. i think france and north america do have different "common" vegetables. the difference with scandinavia could also be related to the fact that france is a more agricultural country. pumpkins were grown in family gardens (not only on farms, i mean) during the war and were one of the few (fresh) vegetables which remained relatively plentiful. that, combined with the fact that they take a long time to cook, could have made them unpopular during the glorious 30 and only start to raise an interest again now. i'm not sure ; this is my friend's theory, although it does make sense to me. i've never heard of pickled pumpkin, but i think many vegetables are most commonly eaten as pickles in some countries, particularly where the growing season is short.


pumpkins here are very common. you usually buy just a segment of one, not the whole pumpkin, which is gigantic, unless it is the smaller green pumpkins (which might be the acorn squashes). many four seasons shops sell them pre-cleaned (seeds removed) and with some seasonings for soupes. i looked up hokkaido pumpkin and i think that is the english name for potimarron, and i thank you for that because i didn't know. those are quite new here ; only a few years ago they suddenly appeared and now they are everywhere, but 10 years ago they were totally unknown. i'm glad they're back because they are *delicious*. easily my favourite of all (although the butternut is a close second) ; i like to make them in soupe with chestnuts, and purée it after it's cooked with maybe a bit of cream.

I have never heard of pickled pumpkin!!! I think you (collectively) are using "pumpkin" as a pretty generic term for a great deal of different squash. for instance, the GIANT ones that are even sold cut up here are Hubbard squash

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

nice ! looks not even too complicated ! i will definitely try it out ! thank you !

shoot, you hollow out the puppy, throw it in the oven, mash it put in some cinnamon, nutmeg and other nummy things... plop it in a crust... pie!

[BenG]

You could make a lot of pies from this pumpkin:
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/08/...3181250448806/

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

if it is the same as pattypan here, small, fits in the palm, great for salads, sauteeing, or just eating raw, then yes, I know it well, plant it often and eat it whenever I can!

yes, i hear they can be very small. the one i got was about 20cm or so in diameter though. i didn't try it raw ; maybe that is better with the small ones. i think the small ones you can eat the skin (?), i didn't eat it on the one i got.

I have never heard of pickled pumpkin!!! I think you (collectively) are using "pumpkin" as a pretty generic term for a great deal of different squash. for instance, the GIANT ones that are even sold cut up here are Hubbard squash

hm, i don't know... to me "potiron" or "citrouille" is pretty specific, although there can be 2 kinds of potiron that i know of : the relatively large orange ones which usually you buy only a portion of, and the small green ones (which on second look i don't think are the acorn squash, it looks like those have a pointy end, potiron have flat / hollowed top and bottom). the generic terme here would be "courge".

shoot, you hollow out the puppy, throw it in the oven, mash it put in some cinnamon, nutmeg and other nummy things... plop it in a crust... pie!

well all right then. i can do that.

Originally Posted by BenG

You could make a lot of pies from this pumpkin:
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/08/...3181250448806/

good god !!! was that thing grown on top of a nuclear power plant ???? it weighs over ten zeldas !!! in fact it weighs about 10.4 zeldas !! that's INSANE !! i could live inside that !!


i don't even want to imagine the size of a texas pumpkin !! it's probably bigger than my whole building !

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by BenG

Thanksgiving is next week....

See, that's why I'm trying to make sure I'm in the routine of eating healthy before it hits me square between the eyeballs. Nothin' but donuts with sprinkles for me this week.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

it's possible. i think france and north america do have different "common" vegetables. the difference with scandinavia could also be related to the fact that france is a more agricultural country. pumpkins were grown in family gardens (not only on farms, i mean) during the war and were one of the few (fresh) vegetables which remained relatively plentiful. that, combined with the fact that they take a long time to cook, could have made them unpopular during the glorious 30 and only start to raise an interest again now. i'm not sure ; this is my friend's theory, although it does make sense to me. i've never heard of pickled pumpkin, but i think many vegetables are most commonly eaten as pickles in some countries, particularly where the growing season is short.

I think the main reason they're not much grown here, is that it's a bit too cold. If you have a cold, wet summer, you won't get a lot of pumpkins/winter squash, so it's not a reliable vegetable - and it's probably too cold in Northern Scandinavia to even try growing them. It keeps well though, so it would actually be a good vegetable for a climate where you can't get freshly grown vegetables two-thirds of the year. I think that's why root vegetables play such a large part in 'traditional' food. Nowadays of course, we have freezers and import vegetables to a large degree, so it's not so much as issue anymore.

I also noted recently how much more common leaf vegetables seem to be in warmer climates. Apart from a large variety of salads, coarser, leafy greens are almost as rare as pumpkins.

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I have never heard of pickled pumpkin!!! I think you (collectively) are using "pumpkin" as a pretty generic term for a great deal of different squash. for instance, the GIANT ones that are even sold cut up here are Hubbard squash

I am using it generically. Now I have looked it up on Wikipedia, and it seems that in USA (and perhaps also Canada) the generic term is 'winter squash' - pumpkin being a sub-group of winter squash. I wasn't aware of that. I only know one kind of squash, and that is what you would call 'summer squash' no, wait, we also have a kind of orange soda called Squash
My 'standard' Danish-English dictionaries only give the suggestion of 'pumpkin'. My 'extended' dictionary states 'gourd' as a generic term, with 'winter squash' being a common American term, and 'marrow' in British English, and 'pumpkin' as a specific sub-group of gourds. So you see, it's suddenly complicated

I think it may be because winter squash[sic!] aren't much eaten here. They're certainly grown in private kitchen gardens, but they're just not commonly sold in shops. It's changing though - this year I have noticed Hokkaido squash regularly.


A recipe for Danish pumpkin pickle
(I think the translation is a bit clumsy - sorry)

Strips of pumpkin pickled in a sweet, spiced vinegar pickle. Typically served as a condiment in the same way you'd serve a chutney.

1 kg pumpkin (weight without rind and seed, so start with a bigger one)

Brine:
1 liter of water
100 gram salt
2 dl vinegar

Vinegar pickle recipe 1:
6 dl vinegar
2 dl water
4 whole cloves
50 g fresh ginger in slices
350 gram sugar

Vinegar pickle recipe 2:
6 dl vinegar
2 dl water
1 split vanilla pod
350 gram sugar

Day 1:
Mix the brine so that all salt is dissolved. Split and clean the pumpkin. Cut it into 1/3 inch (1 cm) thick strips, 2-3 inches long (5-7 cm), and let it soak in the brine until next day.

Day 2:
Remove the pumpkin strips from the brine, rinse them i cold water, and let them drip off in a colander.
Select one of the pickle recipes. Mix the ingredients in a pot and heat it up to boiling point. Depending on which kind of vinegar you use, it might be worth starting out with a little less sugar and adjust to taste. Add the pumpkin strips and boil gently for a few minutes - max 5. The pumpkin must not get too soft. Remove the pumpkin and put into scalded glass pickle jars. A preservative may be added to the vinegar pickle at this point. The warm pickle is poured over the pumpkin strips and the glasses closed immediately (the spices go into the glasses as well). Store them in a dark, cool place. After opening, the jar should be kept in the refrigerator.

[kindlekitten]

here's an even better link! nice sized glossary with photos and more recipes!

here are a few recipes the one for the delicata looks REALLY good, and I knw from experience it is not sweet. I think I'll try that later this week!

the image on the far right (ok, no comments from the peanut gallery!) are the summer squashes, and I am as accustomed to eating them raw as cooked (normally sauteed, but occasionally in soups, and the long green one is the standard for zucchini bread). the upper corner in the middle picture, the dusky green ones, are the Hubbard Squashes, and a m*ther f*cker to cut into!

[Billjr13]

Take a sweet potato or two peel and cut into wedges like steak fries: lightly coat with olive oil (the oil not Popeyes girlfriend) sprinkle with salt, peper, and dust lightly with chili powder; bake in a 375 degeree oven for 30 minutes or until tender. If the start to get too dark tent with aluminum foil.
Curry powder can be used insted of chili powder too.