From native staple to autumn favourite
The star ingredient of this dessert, the pumpkin, is native to North America and is typically associated with Hallowe’en and, in the USA, with Thanksgiving. Pumpkins were an important part of Native American diets long before the arrival of European settlers. Native Americans brought these strange-looking yet highly nutritious squash as gifts to the first settlers and taught them their many uses, which is why pumpkins became forever associated with Thanksgiving.
If you’d be interested in learning about the origins of the association between pumpkins and Hallowe’en, and Jack-O-Lanterns in particular, feel free to read our Hallowe’en article.
Pumpkins are also commonly grown here in Catalunya and are widely available in shops and markets during the autumn. All the other ingredients for making a pumpkin pie are easily found here, too. In addition, this recipe is very easy, so there’s no reason not to give it a try!
If you’re interested, we have another recipe featuring pumpkin and chestnuts, which are also in season around the same time of year: Chestnut & Pumpkin Soup.
Ingredients:
- 500g of pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
(Do not discard the seeds! See below.)
- 220g grams of (preferably) brown sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Half a teaspoon of salt
- Half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg
- Half a teaspoon of ground ginger
- One teaspoon of cinnamon
- Half a teaspoon of ground cloves (optional)
- Half a teaspoon of lemon zest (optional)
- 350ml of evaporated milk (you can also use heavy cream,
or milk and heavy cream mixture)
- Store-bought pie pastry (230g)
Method:
Cooking the Pumpkin:
- First of all, you will need to peel your pumpkin, which is much easier when it is already cooked, especially with larger pumpkins that have very tough skin. The first step is to cut out the stem, then cut the pumpkin in half. Then scoop out the fibres and seeds with a spoon.
There are a number of ways to then cook your pumpkin:
Roasting
- Place the two halves of the pumpkin on baking paper in an oven dish, cut sides down, and bake at 180º until the pumpkin is soft and almost collapsing. Depending on the size of your pumpkin (and your oven!), this should take around 30-40 minutes.
- Instead of using baking paper, you can also cover the bottom of the oven dish with a couple of centimetres of water to keep the pumpkin moist. The roasting method is traditionally the most popular because it best preserves the flavour of the pumpkin.
Microwave
- Microwaving your pumpkin is less traditional, but it is a bit faster than roasting. Place the pumpkin halves in a dish with a centimetre or two of water, cut side down, and microwave for 15 minutes. (You may need to cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces to fit in your microwave.) After 15 minutes, check the pumpkin and then continue cooking in 5-minute increments until the flesh is soft, tender, and easily pierced with a fork.
Steaming
- You can also steam your pumpkin halves for about 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin. This method makes the skin easiest to peel.
While the pumpkin is cooking, you can begin preparing your pie crust.
Once your pumpkin has cooled sufficiently, you can peel the skin off, cut it off, or scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Then cut the flesh into chunks that fit into a food processor or blender and puree for a couple of minutes until perfectly smooth. If the resulting puree is too moist, strain off any excess liquid through cheesecloth or a chinois. If the puree is too “watery”, it will affect the texture of your pumpkin pie.
Preparing your Pumpkin Pie
- When your puree is ready, mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl, then blend well with the pumpkin puree. It might be a good idea to weigh your puree first to calculate how much spice you want to add, but these amounts can be adjusted to your own taste. The above measures are guidelines rather than precise measures.
- Now it is simply a matter of pouring your mixture into the pie crust (which you will, of course, have prepared while the pumpkin was cooking!)
- Place in the oven, preheated to 220º, and bake for 12-15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 180º and continue baking for another 40 minutes. To check whether the pie is cooked to perfection, dip the tip of a knife into the centre. If it comes out moist but clean, the pie is ready.
- Place the pie on a wire rack and allow it to cool. Then place it in the refrigerator to chill. Pumpkin pie is usually served chilled or at room temperature, traditionally with whipped cream.
Pumpkin seeds
- When you cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the stringy fibres and seeds in the middle, don’t throw away those seeds, as they make a very tasty and healthy snack!
- Rinse the mass of seeds and fibres under cool water, and the seeds will separate easily, especially when they are still moist, right after you cut the pumpkin open. The fibres can be discarded or composted. For best results, leave the seeds to dry overnight on baking paper.
- When you are ready to roast the seeds, toss them in olive oil until evenly coated, then sprinkle with salt to taste. You can also sprinkle a little cinnamon or nutmeg, or even Cajun or Old Bay seasoning (if you can get it). Whatever takes your fancy, really!
- Spread the seeds out on the baking paper in an oven tray and place in the oven at 200º. Check after 5 minutes or so. Larger seeds may take longer, even up to 15 or 20 minutes. They’re done when they start to brown, so be sure not to burn them.