2 Ways to Make Pumpkin Purée from Fresh Pumpkins #SunnahKitchen

Not only is pumpkin healthy and filling, it is SUNNAH!

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

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This is Sunnah In The Kitchen – A segment where we make gradual changes that we as Muslims can make in our homes and kitchen to revive the Sunnah (practice of the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him ) . I will be focusing in the food and health related habits and manners of the Prophet (peace be upon him ); also the foods He preferred. And I'll also be including round-ups and linky parties for others to also share their ideas.

The past few days have been sunny, still warm, t-shirt wearing days, but all around me are signs that it is, in fact, Autumn. The nights are cold, the mornings brisk, and the trees are beginning to shed their leaves. Autumn is finally in the air and I can even smell it! ( Yeah, I know it's quite late!)

And each year I get this itching, this for pumpkins and all kinds of fun dishes made from pumpkins. Besides the many pumpkine pies, many other pumpkiny treats that will be made, I have about a dozen or more recipes just waiting like this and this recipe on my to-do list to try. So many my family often get annoyed with my over-enthusiasm for pumpkin. 

But serious, no joke, did you know eating pumpkin is a Sunnah? Some people think of the Halloween pumpkin that sits on a window ledge with a scary or kooky face cut out of it to ward away the Djinn and evil spirits that may be be walking round on the celebration of all Hallows' eve. And well as popular as this "holiday" may be well, many people including Muslims, Christians and Jews don't “celebrate” this “holiday”. (No matter how many Halal-o-weens you seen held at your local mosque) No. No. We Muslims love this Autumn vegetable simply because it's healthy, tasty and it was one of the favorite foods of our Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him). He loved pumpkin so much that he would eat it over the meat in a stew or he ate it first-as is the correct way to help digestion: eat the veggies before the meat. Although the pumpkin he and his family enjoyed wasn't exactly the orange jack-o-latern kind pumpkin we find at our grocery stores today, we can revive the Sunnah by enjoying all the varieties of pumpkin by cooking sweet or savory dishes with it.

Pumpkins come in all different colors, shapes and sizes - some even looking like they may have come from Mars, right? All pumpkins are a type of winter squash and are also related to zucchini. It’s a very versatile vegetable used all around the world and is super popular during the Autumn months. Most of the pumpkin parts can be used – sweet, nutty orange flesh, the seeds, flowers and even the skin is delicious when roasted. And despite the wide-ranging looks of winter squashes, all varieties generally have a similar flavor and substitute for each other in most recipes.

Pumpkin pulp is low-fat and low-sodium and is an ancient, healthful powerful SUPERFOOD. One cup of cooked pumpkin has 564 mg of potassium, 2650 IU of vitamin A (providing an amazing 310% RDA) and just 80 calories. A half cup serving gives you a day's worth of these protective pigments. Pumpkin also provides fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and phosphorus.

Note: Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness and a major cause of infant deaths.

Most pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of lutein, alpha- and beta-carotene. These nutrients turn to vitamin A in the body. So adding beta carotene to your diet could reduce your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including prostate, and protect against heart disease. In the past, this staple was used to treat various ailments, including snakebites and…freckles!

Pumpkin seeds contain protective compounds called phytosterols, which may be responsible for shrinking the prostate. They also contain chemicals that may prevent some transformation of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). High levels of DHT are associated with enlarged prostate.

“The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) amongst all other foods, liked pumpkin. 

[Tirmidhi]

All of those recipes generally see pinned on Pinterest and shared on Facebook, they mostly require pumpkin puree… and while some out there may be tempting to buy the canned stuff, please, resist the urge! Fresh foods generally have a higher nutrient content than do canned foods. And even thought many cans stated state "100% pumpkin" if you check the ingredient list you may find several other unhealthy additives and preservatives in there too. 

Preparing your very own homemade pumpkin purée is ridiculously easy. Here are some tips on selecting the 

perfect pumpkin for the job:

• While many say the best type of pumpkin for making purée is a Sugar Pie Pumpkin. Sugar Pie pumpkins are smaller; their skin smoother, thinner, more orange and slightly sweeter in taste than other. But really don't think only the Sugar Pie variety will make a tasty dish. Looking around in the markets where I live, well I didn't find Sugar Pie Pumpkins but other varities. Doing some research online I found out the names of the ones locally grown, and I've had deiciously great success with many other varieties, like Butternut squash, Red Kuri, Rouge Vif d'Etampes,  Fairytale, even Turban squash. In fact, I use Butternut squash most often since the most abundantly available where I live. By using this handy pumpkin chart you can find out which of the cool varieties you can find near you. 

• It's good to select a pumpkin that is firm to the touch, with no soft spots, brown bruises and heavy for their size. A ripe pumpkin has a hard shell that does not dent or scratch easily, when pressing on it with a thumbnail. Do this on the back or bottom of the fruit.......never on the face. 

•  Check for cracks and splits. If you find one, examine it to be sure it is not turning into a soft spot or has mold inside of the crack. 

• Look for bugs and insects. Specifically, look for holes in the pumpkin, which are indicative of insect problems. 

• Big and fat culinary pumpkins are a good thing, especially if you are planning to store them for a while. You should always pick one that feels heavy for its size because that’s going to mean that it has more flesh. Not only do you get more food, but because squashes and pumpkins dehydrate through the skin, a fatter pumpkin will only get sweeter over a few months on the back of the counter.

And while you may be thinking no way I'm going to use a huge pumpkin, but that's the wonderful thing about it, it can be easily frozen for later use – up to 9 months later use! That means pumpkin well into next year when pumpkin is out of season and I get that certain cravings for some pumpkiny-goodness I'm good to go! *Jumps up and down* – are you as excited as I am?

The other wonderful thing about homemade pureé is… it’s easy! You’ve got this! It's almost effortless. My two favorite ways to make pumpkin pureé – roasting, and steaming. I've tried boiling the pumpkin but it came out too watery (even after straining) and bland. Both of my preferred methods are easy. I've found roasted pumpkins lends itself well in dishes where pumpkin is the predominate flavor and the steamed where pumpkin is mixed with other flavors.

So is fresh pumpkin worth the effort?

Once upon a time I was a believer that there was no difference between homemade pumpkin purée and the canned stuff. I had read so many articles and opinions on the matter, and all of them always favored canned pumpkin's reliability (excess water content is a big concern), relatively low price and ease. And most pumpkin recipes just say to use canned pumpkin by default. It seems like the common thing to do.I frankly thought homemade was a waste of time -- that was, until I moved to Algeria,transitioned into a more minimalist Sunnah lifestyle and by default had to finally try my hand at homemade. yup, no canned pumpkin here. Now my opinion is changed forever! Homemade tastes better than canned. I know that shouldn't have been a surprise, but it totally was for me. The taste, as it turns out, is dramatically different. The homemade version is sweeter, nuttier, and well, for the lack of a better word, more pumpkin-y.

Now onto the recipe ... + a bonus recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds!

2 ways to make pumpkin pureé from fresh pumpkins 
+ easy roasted pumpkin seeds

sunnah in  the kitchen series 

Not only is pumpkin healthy and filling, it's SUNNAH! 

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SPECIAL DIETS:  VEGAN,, VEGETARIAN , diabetic friendly, low fat, primal, paleo

how-to | makes 1-2 cups puree

KITCHEN TIME

PREP TIME: 5-15 min

cook time: 

۞ = SUBSTITUTIONS

SERVE WITH

With whatever you like!  

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium-sized pumpkin of your choice like sugar pie, turban, cinderella, or butternut squash
• oil for brushing (optional)

METHOD

ROASTED

Preheat the oven to 350°F - 180°C.

Snap off the stem and, with a large sharp knife, slice it in half vertically. With a spoon scopp out the insides of each half. Cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces if you like. 

Brush the halves lightly with oil (optional)Lay the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet so the outer skin is facing up. Bake for about 40- 60 minutes depending on the size of the pumpkin.

You'll know it's done when you can pierce the skin with a fork without much resistence. Flip them over them to expose the flesh, so they cool faster. Once cool to the touch, scoop out the flesh from the skin.

STEAMED

Same process as below lop off the head, cut into half and scoop out the guts. Using a sharp knife cut away the skin from the pumpkin. A good quality vegetable peeler can also do the job. Now cut into small cubes. Place the pumpkin in a couscoussier, double boiler, Asian rice steamer, electric rice cooker or food steamer. I use my couscoussier for this task. Steam the pumpkin for about 45-50 minutes, or  until fork tender. Cooking times vary to according to which type of pumpkin you've used and the size of the chunks you cut. 

PUREE

Once the pumpkin is cooled place the pumpkin in a blender or food processor and blend until you get the consistency you like. If you find your puree is very watery dump the puree into a fine mesh strainer and allow to drain for about 1 hour. The puree should be super thick by then.

STORAGE

Now to store your puree. Take a tall glass or container and slide a freezer safe bag inside the glass. I use my 2 cup 250ml coffee mug for the job (since most recipes ask for 2 cups of pumpkin puree. Fold the top over the rim of the glass securing the bag. Spoon in the pumpkin puree, leaving about 2 fingers width free for the air. Close the bag and label the bag. Store in the fridge or freezer.

SEEDS

You'll have lots of seeds from the pumpkin. No reason to waste them! After removing the seeds from the pumpkin, place them in a colander or strain. Rinse them off very well. Rub the seeds together with your fingers to get off the debris. They'll be wet and slimely but that's ok. Place them on a baking sheet. Salt and season them generously. You'll find several wonderful ideas seasoning flavorings here. Bake them in a preheated 180°C - 350°F oven for about 10-12 minutes stirring often.
You can even use the seeds to make this delicious pumpkin seed butter.

KITCHEN TIPS

Storage

Raw uncut pumpkin can be stored up to 3 months, some varieties even up to 6 months. Fresh cut uncooked pumpkin can be stored in the fridge for up to 4-5days, cooked chunk or puree can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container up to 7-8 days or stored in the freezer up to 9 months.

Variation
You can add spices and even a sweetener to the cooked pumpkin before pureeing. 

SAHA F'TOURKOUM! 

 CATEGORIES:  sunnah in the kitchen, QUICK AND EASY, SUGAR FREE, VEGETARIAN, VEGAN, healthy, autumn, winter,

SOURCE:  heni el gh

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• Looking for more halal and homemade solutions to revive the Sunnah with? Check out these ideas here. 
•  Or check out my PUMPKIN Pinterest board.
• Or browse through the recipe index to get inspired.

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DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OR RECIPES USING PUMPKIN OR ANY VARIETY OF WINTER SQUASH? IF YES, ADD YOURS IN THE LINKY PARTY BELOW.

 SWEET OR SAVORY. VEGETARIAN OR NON-VEGETARIAN. JUST ONLY REAL FOOD RECIPES PLEASE. NO CANNED OR PACKAGED FOODS ALLOWED.