How to squeeze pie from a pumpkin

You may wonder about how the originators of pumpkin pie...a must have for this time of year...got the ball rolling on the whole craze. Imagine going to the grocery store and not finding the canned mashed pumpkin!! No good. Here's how you make a pumpkin into pie filling.

First of all you need to find the right type of pumpkin. A Sugar, Pie or even Cheese pumpkin is the way to go. You should be able to find them in nearly any store. If you're in a pinch you can also substitute butternut squash or even a jack-o-lantern type pumpkin. You'll just need to adjust the sugar.

Look for a good 6" sizes pumpkin with no bruises or soft spots. Wash and half you pumpkin using a sharp serrated knife. Scoop out the innards so there is only flesh left inside the shell. Save those seed for either planting or roasting!!

Now you can either microwave or stove top cook the pumpkin. To microwave, cut the pumpkin down to smaller pieces, add with about 2 inches of water to the dish and set it on high for 15 minutes or until soft.

To cook stove top use either a steamer to cook the pieces about 15 minutes until soft.

Now let the pieces cool, if the pumpkin was steamed enough you should be able to remove the rind easily. Scoop out the pumpkin into a separate dish. Toss your skins in the compost heap.

Take the pumpkin chunks and puree them until they are silky smooth. Now you should have something roughly the same consistency of baby food. You can can fridge or freeze it until you need to use it. If the mixture is too watery run it through a cheese cloth over night.

Yield: 1 deep dish 9" pie or 2 shallow 8" pies.

More holiday meal ideas to come!!!