If you are carving a pumpkin for Halloween, here are a few idea what to do with your Pumpkin meat after carving it.
I know I’ve been away from blogging and visiting blogs but I’ve decided to work on my e-book again. I started reading tutorials before summer but found it very difficult and gave up.
The economic crisis here in Greece, has put all of us in depression mood, making us feel sad, anxious about our future but with other emotions as well such as feeling empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, restless and losing interest in activities that once were pleasurable to us.
My reaction to this situation is to post on Facebook jokes and funny placards, mostly in Greek about the prime minister, the government and the whole economic crisis, Merkel and the Troika.
(The word has been taken from the Russian carriage, pulled by three horses. In this case the three groups i.e. the European Commission (EC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the European Central Bank (ECB), who have the most power over Greece’s financial future). Something to give us hope and lift our spirit!
We have become the guinea pigs of Europe and soon other countries will follow as well.
Our salaries and pensions have been cut by 30%, so we have to try more and find out ways to add something more to our income. We Greeks, are not lazy as they want to present us in Europe but we are hard working but what can we do when there are no jobs?
On my part, I’ve decided to give my e-book another try and if I manage to publish it, then I may hope on adding something to our income but also keeping my mind busy and not thinking of what is ahead of us.
I am back to reading tutorials again and I think I’m on the right track this time, so forgive me if I am not always around. I will keep posting recipes but not regularly. Maybe 2 or 3 times a month.
My son lives in England and he e-mailed me today asking me what to do with the pumpkin meat, after he carves his pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern.
We don’t celebrate Halloween in Greece but Happy Halloween to all of you celebrating. However, today is a National Holiday in Greece celebrating OXI (ochi) day. Chronia Polla to all Greeks.
Our flag has a black ribbon attached to it. This is a sign of mourning, as we are mourning about our future and the future of our children.
Now back to the pumpkin. I am telling you exactly what I replied to my son:
First of all you can freeze the pumpkin meat and use it raw whenever you like, in recipes like pumpkin risotto, pumpkin stew, pumpkin curry etc.
You can also steam the meat for about half an hour until it is soft and then purée it with some lemon juice, but if it’s too much you can also freeze the purée. You can use it in a lot of recipes such as pies, cakes, bread, soups.
I know my son doesn’t have a steamer or casserole, so I told him to wrap it in aluminum foil, without water, and cook it in a preheated oven to 180o C / 350o for about an hour, until the pumpkin becomes soft.
Then to purée it in a food processor or mash it with a potato masher or a fork.
Here is a link I sent him to get some ideas and I promised to post some older recipes I made a few years ago but never posted. Sorry for the bad pictures but these were taken 2 years ago.
The first recipe is a dessert made with phyllo, shaped into flutes, filled with pumpkin and cheese and sweetened with syrup.
Pumpkin Flutes
Pumpkin flutes are made with leftover pumpkin pulp after carving a pumpkin.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin purée
- Phyllo sheets cut into 15 cm stripes
- 200 grams anthotyro
- 100 grams cream cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup demerera sugar
- ½ cup of clarified butter (see how to clarify butter here)
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice mixture
Syrup
- 1 cup white crystal sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
Pumpkin Spices Mixture
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger, ground
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
Instructions
- Roast the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 200o C / 400o F.
- After removing all strings and seeds (either save the seeds for roasting, or discard) , put pumpkin on top of a wire rack, in a casserole with lid with ½ cup of water, or with just a little water to create steam if you don't have a wire rack to fit in your casserole and and bake pumpkin until it becomes soft, about 1 hour When done, scoop out the pumpkin pulp and set aside to cool.
- In a saucepan put all the syrup ingredients Bring to boil, low heat and simmer for 5 minutes Set aside to cool.
- Put the pumpkin purée in a bowl with sugar, spices, eggs and cheese and mix.
- Brush a pyrex or baking tin with olive oil or butter.
- Lightly brush each piece of phyllo with clarified butter Add a heaped tablespoon of mixture on top of the phyllo sheet leaving a margin of 3 cm (about an inch) on each side Fold each side and then roll.
- Place in a baking tin and brush each one with butter.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 180o C / 350o F for about 30 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and with a spoon wet each flute with the syrup.
Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 161Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 37mgSodium 32mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 1gSugar 21gProtein 1g
The second recipe is a savory pumpkin pie with cheese.
Savory Pumpkin Tyropita
A savory pumpkin and cheese Tyropita (pie) made with leftover pumpkin pulp.
Ingredients
- 10 - 15 phyllo sheets
- ½ cup of olive oil
Filling:
- 500 - 600 grams pumpkin purée
- 100 grams xynomyzithra or anthotyro
- 200 grams feta
- 4 eggs
- Salt (optional)
- Black pepper
- ½ tsp spice mixture
Instructions
- Mix all the filling ingredients.
- Brush baking tin with olive oil.
- Add as many phyllos as you want which should also cover the sides of your
baking dish Each phyllo should be oiled separately Seven or eight
phyllos are enough for the first layer. - Add filling and then continue adding phyllos, this time the size of the
baking dish Each time you add a phyllo, fold in one of the phyllos which
are outside the pan and brush it again with olive oil. - Finish adding a phyllo which try and tuck in the edges inside the pan
Brush with olive oil and lightly score. - Bake in a preheated oven to 180o C / 350o F for about 30 minutes or until
golden on top.
Beef in dark beer in a Sweet and Sour Pumpkin Sauce
PIN FOR LATER
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,
Thomas
Friday 6th of January 2017
I'm a fitness freak but i love pumpkin pies because it is packed with nutrition. The pumpkin pie has less calories. Who cares? It's gooooooood.
Stan
Thursday 21st of June 2012
I am the only person in my family who loves pumpkin pie. Most of the time we give the pumpkin to our dog, who also likes it.
I will look at these recipes, so maybe the rest of the family can start eating it.
Brenda Boyle
Sunday 26th of February 2012
That looks delicious,Ivy! Best Wishes!
Sharlene Warren
Saturday 10th of December 2011
Thank youf for remembering us these pumpkin recipes I will try them both out as i love pumpkin; hugs! Your proposals look very enticing.
Mark Stevens
Friday 2nd of December 2011
All of this Euro crisis seems so Dangerous. I have been following the Greece story for an Economics project I am doing & just the thought of a Sovereign Default is crazy.
But, Ivy, I know wonderful Greeks like you will not allow your country to go down so easily.
Cheers to the spirits & yyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuum to the pumpkin :D
Mark