Here's what to do with your Pumpkin Meat after carving & 2 recipes
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 tablespoon pumpkin spice mixture
Syrup
- 1 cup white crystal sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Pumpkin Spices Mixture
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger, ground
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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,
It always makes me angry when I hear people who say that the Greek are lazy. Like you've pointed it out well, what can you do when your country offers no jobs?!!! I'm so sorry to hear about the situation in Greece. So sad...
A great way of using pumpkin flesh! Yummy.
Cheers & courage,
Rosa xxx
I do feel very strongly for the Greek people. As an Italian I know for a fact that a population is always much better than its politicians or its political choices, for some reason. And I have met more hard workers in Italy than in Germany, having lived in both countries (I've also met more lazy people, but not enough to make me support generalizations). I am the first person to criticize my country's shortfalls, but nobody should just laugh at people losing social security and jobs and think they are just being lazy.
Your pumpkin recipes are very inviting, especially the savoury tyropita. Keep up with the good work!
Stay strong Ivy! Life can be hard.
Greeks are anything BUT lazy. The Ancient Greeks gave the world so much, now let the world give a little back!
Anna xxx
this is tough times for you but i know that greek people are not lazy : you have to be strong and foresee a future which will be bright !!We are with you !!
COurage !!Pierre
Great use of pumpkin! People get so caught up with pumpkin pies and pumpkin breads, I love seeing such a great variety of uses.
Yum Ivy! When I first saw this photo on twitter I thought mini bougatsa and that is bad as I have a real sweet craving at the moment. These still look amazing and just shows another great use of pastry in a savoury meal.
I totally understand the shock and despair. Several years ago we were in the same boat in the U.S. -- and we're not exactly sailing on smooth water yet because so many people are out of work. The crisis is global.
A piece of something pumpkin sure makes you feel good for a moment!
Thinking of you during this tough time!
The savory pumpkin tyropita sounds delicious. Love the mix of pumpkin and feta!
Dear Ivy,
first of all, thank you for the wonderful tips with pumpkin.
I am planning to feed my baby some pureed pumpkin soon too, when she turns 6 months. And I might freeze some for her.
Now, coming to the situation in Greece. I know enough Germans who know the problem doesn't lie with the Greek people but somewhere else. My husband himself finds it especially very bad the way things are being handled in by EU and feels bad for the Greek common people, who are ultimately suffering the most. And if I understood it correctly, it never was about hard work or laziness but money. But then I never understood politics and politicians. And believe me nobody is laughing.
Greece is such a wondeful country with such an awesome heritage. You have all the reasons to be proud! I hope things get settled down soon for you.
BTW, I never found your pictures bad, never! You have such an amazing blog which goes much beyong your pictures. So, do keep it up! Best Wishes!
Thank you my friends for your kind words and support. It means a lot to me.
greetings Ivy! I keep you in my prayers to have some ease during these trying times, but is true Greek are enduring people who surived throu worst. Thank youf for remembering us these pumpkin recipes I will try them both out as i love pumpkin; hugs!
I never tried anything similar to this recipe. I am sure from what I read that it will be very tasty!
Keep up the good work and keep in mind that the economic crisis is everywhere so we are almost all in the same "happy" mood.
Love the photo with all the winter squashes! I don't have a lot of pumpkin pulp from this year's pumpkins, though my husband carved three of them (nicknamed the pumpk-onauts, from pumpkin and astronaut), but I roasted it and it is waiting to be used. Your proposals look very enticing.
Dear Ivy sensations that you describe so well in this post are not so different from those we feel ourselves in Italy.
I am very concerned about the fate of my country because unlike the Greek people we don't have the strength to come back. I hope that your message will serve to invigorate the souls of our people.I hope that we serve by example your will. A big hug ah! Excuse me I was forgetting, as always very good recipe. Kisses.Many thanks for the link of my blog on my post.
Thank you Anna Maria for all your love and support.
Yum Ivy! When I first saw this photo on twitter I thought mini bougatsa and that is bad as I have a real sweet craving at the moment. These still look amazing and just shows another great use of pastry in a savory meal.