Louie’s Pumpkin Patch

Recipes

Here are a few of our favorite recipes.

These and many other recipes are available in Swedish under Swedish-svenska, "Recept".

Why not try a delicious acorn squash, a good winter vegetable.

Click first on big triangle in center of picture and then on small rectangle in lower left to get full-screen pictures and instructions.

NOTE! If you use these recipes, you must drain the pumpkin you cook yourself extremely well so that you get a compact consistency similar to the canned pumpkin that Americans usually use.

We want to show that winter squash and pumpkins can be used for everything from soups to salads! Try these recipes and let us know what you think.

Vegetarian Chili -- a way to eat winter squash or pumpkin as a main dish. Add ground meat or sausage to make it "non vegetarian". A new taste sensation for those used to only eating pumpkin prepared as pie for Thanksgiving!
Baked Winter Squash -- an excellent way to introduce new vegetables in your diet. Try it with meat as a main dish, or as a substitute for mashed potatoes or candied sweet potatoes!
American Pumpkin Pie -- what no Thanksgiving table can be without!
Louie's Summer Salad -- take whatever you have in the garden, add salad dressing and voilá!
Pumpkin Soup -- another favorite on a cool day. A great substitute for potato soup!
Louie's Pumpkin Soup -- Louie's own favorite on a cool day. Filling and easy to prepare, more like a vegetarian stew!

How to prepare mashed winter squash/pumpkin: Cut squash/pumpkin into large pieces, remove all seed. Place pieces in a large pot, add water and cook. When the flesh is soft, remove water and cool. It can then easily be removed from the peel with a spoon. Drain VERY WELL.

Cooking Fairytale pumpkin for pumpkin marmalade and pumpkin bread.

Preparing roasted pumpkin seeds. This can be done with any of the Cucurbita pepo seed, i.e. Halloween pumpkins.

Rinse the pumpkin seeds very well in running water. If the seeds have dried, soak them before using (no cooking oil needed). Spread the wet pumpkin seeds out on an enamel or teflon-covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt (and even chili powder!) but DO NOT add any oil -- roast them at 175^o C (350^o F) for 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown and thoroughly dry (NOTE: it can take more time). After turning the oven off it is OK to leave them in the oven awhile to make sure they are thoroughly dry -- otherwise they will become very chewy rather than crisp and not hold as long.

Let them cool on the cookie sheet and store them in a jar with a tightly-fitting lid. Eat the whole seed, seed coat and all. It tastes much like popcorn.

Vegetarian Chili

(aka "Chili con Pumpkin" or "Chili sin Carne")

Vegetarian chili looks this yummy when done. Goes great to do in advance and refrigerate. It tastes better the next day when the taste of the various ingredients have all blended well. Just warm and serve! I used Delica, which has a very thin skin and doesn't need to be peeled. The peeling adds color as well as providing something to bite into!

2 Cups (5 dl) cubed or chopped winter squash/pumpkin	1 tsp cumin
3/4 Cup (2 dl) chopped onion	1 tsp oregano
garlic to taste	1/3 Cup (½ dl) parsley
1 green bell pepper	cooking oil
1 can chopped tomatoes	salt
1 tsp chilipulver	pepper
2 Cups (5 dl) cooked navy or pinto beans

Fry squash/pumpkin, onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a little cooking oil until soft. Add chopped tomatoes and spices. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix in beans.

Serve hot with bread or rice. Ganish with grated cheese or sour cream.

TIP: Chop winter squash or pumpkin in food processor, using the knife.

Baked Winter Squash*

(*Hubbard, Sweet Mama, Delica, Banana)

Filled squash: Wash the winter squash and cut in half lengthwise, removing seeds. Place upside down in a shallow pan. Add about ½ inch (1 cm) water and bake at 400^o F (200^o C) until almost tender, 35-40 minutes (or in microwave for 10-20 minutes depending on size). Empty water, turn squash and fill with desired filling, such as ground meat fixed like a meatloaf or as a spaghetti sauce.
Candied squash: Bake as above. After turning, butter squash and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake awhile longer until the sugar has melted. Tastes good and is a good alternative to candied sweet potatoes, especially if you place some marshmallows on top!
Squash and applesauce: Bake as above. After turning, butter squash, sprinkle with brown sugar and add ½ C (ca 1 dl) hot applesauce. Bake awhile longer and garnish with red current jelly.
Squash and sausage: Bake as above. After turning, butter squash. Fill with fried sausage.

American Pumpkin Pie

Pastry:	Filling:
2 Cups (5 dl) flour	1½ Cups (3 dl) cooked, mashed pumpkin
1 tsp salt	1 Cup (2 ½ dl) sugar
2/3 Cup (125 g) shortening or margarine	½ tsp salt
5 - 7 Tbsp cold water	1½ tsp cinnamon
	1 tsp ginger
	½ tsp nutmeg
	½ tsp cloves
	4 eggs
	2 Cups (5 dl) milk

Mix pastry (best in a food processor), roll out on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness and transfer to 8- or 9-inch pie plate. For "scalloped edge" have pastry 3/4 inch (2 cm) over the rim; fold under and press edges between thumb and forefinger to make an attractive edge standing higher than the pie plate.

Mix filling (a food processor gives a very smooth mixture), adding ingredients in the order listed. Pour into unbaked pastry shell and bake at 400^o F (200^o C) 50 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between center and outside comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

NOTE: This recipe is adapted for home-cooked pumpkin, not canned pumpkin. The cooked pumpkin should be DRAINED VERY WELL to make it as compact as possible, OR decrease the amount of liquid.

Louie’s Summer Salad

head lettuce	cucumber
leaf lettuce or other greens	radishes
green zucchini	carrots
yellow zucchini	leek
turnips	parsley
celery	chives
bell pepper	hard cooked eggs, sliced

Take any of the suggested ingredients that are easily available at the time. Mix and enjoy.

Garnish with the cooked egg slices. Add your favorite dressing and enjoy!

Pumpkin Soup

2 Cups (5 dl) winter squash/pumpkin, cubed	1 Tbsp. margarine
1 onion, chopped	salt to taste
2 Cups (5 dl) milk

Cook the winter squash/pumpkin cubes with the margarine. Add water if necessary, but most squash and pumpkin varieties have a very high water content. When the squash/pumpkin is nearly done (it is easy to cook it too long), add milk and salt to taste. Serve when the milk is warm. This is a fast and easy alternative to potato soup and tastes especially good on a cold fall or winter day.

Louie's Pumpkin Soup

(Recommended: Uchiki Kuri, Golden Debut, Ambercup)

1 winter squash, 1 - 1½ lb (ca 500- 700 g)	3 stalks celeri
3 carrots, sliced	2 quarts (2 liter s) water
1 leek, sliced	½ Cup (1 dl ) pearl barley
salt, chili powder, season to taste

Cut winter squash in half and remove all seeds, then cube. Thin-skinned (i.e. above-named) varieties do not need to be peeled, as the peeling will add color, as well as something to bite into.

Slice or chop vegetables. Add water and desired seasonings. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked. Add pearl barley and let it cook another 20 minutes. The soup actually tastes better the next day!

Enough for 4-6 hungry people.

This soup is filling and easy to prepare. It tastes extra good a cool fall day.

More recipes in English can also be found at Very Best Baking.com.

If you have other recipes that you normally use, please send them to us!