Pumpkins are the essence of fall, and pumpkin recipes are sure comfort food. But be sure to use the correct type of pumpkin to achieve a richly flavored result in the kitchen. Pie pumpkins are not only smaller than jack-o-lantern type pumpkins but they also have a denser flesh and more sugars that make their edible quality much more like winter squash. In fact pumpkins and winter squash can be used interchangeably in many pie, soup & bread recipes. Not all! But many. Pie pumpkins are an excellent source of beta carotene, calcium and potassium. Store all winter squash and pumpkins in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation, like a porch or garage, but make sure they do not freeze, around 55F is perfect and for shorter duration (1-3 weeks) your kitchen counter should be fine. They should last over a month for decoration but use within a few weeks for best flavor quality. Once cut, you can wrap the leftovers in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Nicola potatoes are golden skinned, golden fleshed potatoes that are truly all purpose. They are great for boiling, mashing or roasting and are plenty waxy enough to make excellent potato salad. Nicolas have a very special attribute among potatoes - they are low on the glycemic index compared to all other varieties. This means they don't cause the blood sugar spike that other varieties may cause, an issue that can wreak havoc with people with insulin resistance. They also have a yummy slightly nutty flavor, enjoy! Store in a cool, dark place to avoid sprouting.
Goldball Turnips are yellow turnips that tend to have a long tail rather than a round shape and are creamy yellow on the inside. Try peeling, chopping, and sauteeing them with some carrots and onions for a veggie stir fry, or they're also great cooked and added to mashed potatoes.
Featured Recipes
I'm not a pie baker, so the notes you see below are Amy Skelton's (who used to do the CSA and now is our Renaissance woman who knows everything at the farm!).
Pumpkin Pie
This one comes straight out of the Joy of Cooking. It's my favorite recipe for this classic pie and I have made this pie probably 50 times. It is that good. You really can use anything from heavy cream to milk, and even low fat works fine. Some cream content elevates this pie from real good to dreamy though.
Prepared pre-baked pie crust
2 to 3 large eggs (2 for more pumpkin flavor, 3 for more soft custardy pie)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups light cream or mix 3/4 cup heavy cream and 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (or maple sugar!)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves or allspice
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F.
Make pie crust and bake at 400°F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown (see notes below on pre-baking your crust). Remove the pre-baked crust, paint the inside of the crust with egg yolk (I use my fingers for this) and bake for another 2 minutes to set the egg wash.
Turn oven down to 375.
Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together thoroughly until combined.
If the crust has cooled, warm it in the oven until it is hot to the touch.
Pour the pumpkin mixture into the crust and bake until the center of the filling seems set but quivery - like jello - when you nudge the pan. Should take roughly 45 minutes but this varies by oven, depth of the pie plate etc. Could be 55 minutes.
Remove the pie and let cool completely on a wire rack. Leftover pie should be refrigerated!
Pre-baking your crust
The only thing a little tricky about making pumpkin pie is that you are supposed to pre-bake the crust first and paint it with egg yolk to help keep it from getting soggy. Follow the directions in the apple pie recipe above for making the crust, and roll it out and shape your crust in your pie plate. If you just stick the pie plate in the oven now to pre-bake, your crust will shrink and slip down the sides of the pie plate. You have to somehow hold it in place while it pre-bakes for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Press a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side down, into/on top of the crust you have shaped in your pie plate. You need the aluminum foil to be depressed into your pie plate enough so that you can fit a slightly smaller pie plate nested in/on top of your prepared crust. The weight of the smaller pie plate will hold your crust in place while it's baking. (Alternatively, you can use uncooked rice or beans poured into the aluminum foil to hold the pie crust in place.) Bake for 20 minutes to set the crust. Then remove from oven, remove the pie plate weight(s) and aluminum foil. Prick the crust with a fork if it has puffed up. Then return to the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes more until golden brown all over.
Apple Pie
This is my favorite apple pie recipe. The pie is made with honey rather than sugar. The honey flavor comes through in the pie and gives the pie a rich, decadent flavor.
Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1.5 sticks cold butter cut into 1/4" slices
Ice water
Pie filling:
7-8 Cortland apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4" thick
2/3 cup honey
3 TB flour
1 TB lemon juice
2 TB melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
For the crust
Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and give it a quick pulse to mix. Toss in the slices of cold butter. Using the pulse button, pulse 7-8 times for 1 second each time until the flour butter mixture looks like very coarse cornmeal. Run a fork through it and look for butter chunks. The largest chunks should be pea sized or a bit larger (high bush blue berry sized?). Transfer to a mixing bowl. Pour in 1/3 cup of water and fold flour in from outer edges of bowl with a rubber spatula. The goal in mixing water into the dough is to do it with as few strokes as possible so use some strategy. You will need to add more water, depending on how cold your butter is, moisture content of flour etc. You may need as much nearly another 1/3 cup but probably not quite that much. As soon as it starts holding together, use your hands to gather the dry flakies that resist capture and form the dough into two equal sized balls. The dough wants to be just moist enough to come together, and not so dry that your balls want to crack apart again. Press your dough balls into flattened rounds and proceed to rolling it out if you are ready. If you aren't, wrap your flattened rounds in plastic and refrigerate (can be made a couple days ahead).
For the filling
Melt the butter and if your honey is thick and creamy, let it heat along with butter so that it is easier to blend with the apples. No need to heat it lots, just enough to make it pour easier. Pour the honey/butter mix over the apple slices in a large bowl and mix to coat. Add the flour, cinnamon, lemon juice.
Assemble your pie and bake at 425°F in the middle of your oven for 30 mins. Then turn the temp down to 350°F and bake until lightly browned and bubbling - another 15-25 mins.
Ginger-Glazed Turnips, Carrots, and Chestnuts
This classic technique of covering simmering vegetables with a parchment-paper round (known as a cartouche) yeilds perfectly moist, evenly cooked pieces. The glaze takes some of the "bite" away from the turnip.
1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled, cut into 1x1 inch strips
1 pound carrots, peeled, thinly sliced on a diagnoal
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces, divided
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup shelled roasted chestnuts from a jar
2 tbsp minced assorted herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, and chives)
Cut a 12 inch round of parchment paper; snip a hole about the size of a quarter in the center of round. Combine turnips, carrots, 8 tbsp butter, brown sugar, and ginger in a 12 inch skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Rest parchment paper on top of vegetables (don't cover with lid).
Simmer over medium-high heat until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Discard parchment; add remaining 4 tbsp butter and chestnuts. Simmer, swirling pan often, until a glaze forms, 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl. Serve, garnished with herbs.
Beets with Pistachio Butter
This is a huge hit every Thanksgiving! It's super simple - cook the beets (roasted or boiled) and add the pistachio butter! Eat the beets hot or cold. From Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
4 large or 8 medium beets
½ cup neutral oil like grapeseed or corn or pistachio oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 cup shelled pistachios (can also substitute walnuts)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Bake the beets in covered roasting pan at 400 until tender about 45-90 minutes. Meanwhile, put half the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and cook for about a minute, then add pistachios; cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, let cool a bit, and transfer to a food processor. Puree until smooth, adding more oil as necessary; the consistency should be thinner than that of peanut butter, just pourable. Taste and adjust.
The pistachio butter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Slip the skin off of beets and cut them into chunks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the beets in a serving dish and spoon the pistachio butter over the top; garnish with chopped pistachios. Serve hot or at room temperature.
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