The Popular Pumpkin

New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 941, 23 August 1957, Page 32

The Popular Pumpkin

popular and useful, especially during the winter months, they are often deprecated from a nutritional point of view, and considered rather a watery vegetable. Actually they are one of the recommended "yellow" vegetables like carrots, which help to build up resistance to germ infections. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, and is a carbohydrate. It was grown extensively for food by the American Indians even in the time of Columbus, together with maize (Indian corn), and they depended upon it heavily in the hard cold winter. No Thanksgiving Day dinner is considered complete without a pumpkin pie. The recipes vary a little in different States; but the main requisite is to have the pumpkin not only mashed but sieved very finely. Pennsylvania Pumpkin Pie Two cups cooked mashed pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup dark brown sugar, 1 ‘teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon nutmeg, 3 egg whites, 1 teaspoon ginger, Ya teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 cups scalded milk. Fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites. Pour mixture into a piedish lined with pastry, first brushing pastry . LTHOUGH : pumpkins are

with egg white. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, 450 degrees or regulo 8, then 350 degrees or regulo 4 till baked.

Eggless Pumpkin Pie This is only a substitute for the real thing, but quite nice. Half a tablespoon of cornflour, 42 teaspoon baking powder, 14% teaspoon salt, 1 cup rich milk, 42 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg, 2 cups dried and sieved cooked pumpkin, 1 cup brown sugar. Line pie-plate with a rich pie crust and flute the edges. Stir the cornflour, baking powder, salt, milk and half the spice into the pumpkin pulp. Add the sugar. Pour into the’ crust-lined plate. Sprinkle with the remaining spice and bake till firm in the middle of a moderate oven, about 45 minutes. If you like you can sprinkle before baking with 12 cup finely-chopped walnuts. Pumpkin Custard Tart This is really what all pumpkin pies are. This: recipe was given to me by the chef on the old steamship Makura when I went to America in 1935. PASTRY: Seven ounces flour, 1 oz. custard powder, 1 oz. icing sugar, 5 oz. butter or margarine, 1 tablespoon milk —

(about), pinch salt. Rub butter into flour, etc., mix with milk, and roll, out. Line pie-plate. No baking powder. CUSTARD; Two tablespoons butter, 344 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup milk or more, 14% cups cold, cooked, sieved pumpkin, grated rind and juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cream butter and sugar, add pumpkin gradually, break in eggs and add milk. Pour into lined pie-plate. Stand pie-plate on hot scone tray, near the top. Have hot oven at first, then reduce heat or put tart lower down. Should take about 30 to 40 minutes. Pastry may be brushed over with white of egg before adding ‘custard. Pumpkin Scones {No Egg) Cream 142 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin with % cup butter. Add 1 tablespoon milk, then 1 cup flour sifted with 1 teaspoon of baking powder, salt and sugar to taste. Add more milk to mix if ‘ necessary. Roll out, cut in pieces and bake like ordinary scones. Pumpkin Scones (One Egg) Three cups flour, 1 cup mashed pumpkin, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1% Ib. butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 142 teaspoons baking powder, 12 cup milk, 1 egg. Cream butter and sugar, add egg, then pumpkin. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the mixture, add milk, shape into scones. Hot oven, approximately 10 minutes. Pumpkin Lemon Cheese (No Eggs) Two pounds pumpkin, 5 or 6 lemons, 1% Ib. butter, 2 Ib. sugar. Cook pump-

kin, strain well, add juice and rind from the lemons, taking care that no white pith of the lemon rind is added. Then add butter and sugar. Mix in pan and boil in double saucepan 1% hour. Pumpkin Cake One cup mashed pumpkin, 2 eggs, 1% Ib. butter, 1 small cup sugar, 2 large cups flour, a pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon each almond and vanilla essence, 1 lb. mixed fruit, lemon peel if liked. Cream butter and sugar, add pumpkin and mix very well. Add eggs, essences and salt and beat well again. Add flour, baking powder and fruit. Instead of mixed fruit, chopped preserved ginger and walnuts may be used, with a little mixed spices instead of the essences. This makes a lovely cake. Bake in a deep cake-tin in a rather slow oven, like any fruit cakeapproximately 2 hours, depending on depth of cake. . Gramma Squares This is an Australian recipe, Mix in the following order: 1/3 cups boiled and sifted pumpkin, 1 cup boiling milk, 1 cup sugar, 42 teaspoon salt, 42 teaspoon ginger, 42 teaspoon cinnamon, a little less of nutmeg and 1 egg beaten slightly. Roll out 2 pieces of good pastry. Place one on a baking sheet or tin, and spread equally over it the pumpkin mixture. Lay over this the other piece of pastry and press the edges together all round. Mark the pastry in lines with a knife on the surface to show where to cut

when baked. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, Just before the pastry is done brush it over with the white of an egg, sift over castor sugar and put it back in the oven to colour. Pumpkin Cheese Pie Two cups cooked sieved pumpkin, 1 cup cottage cheese (or cream cheese bought in packets), 44 cup brown sugar, ¥2 cup white sugar, 4% teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon each of ginger and cinnamon, YQ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 large egg, ¥/2 cup milk, rich pie-crust. Combine pumpkin, cheese, sugar and spices, egg beaten

slightly and milk. Line deep pie-plate with the crust rolled thin, Pour in the pumpkin-cheese mixture. Bake in hot oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until pie is® firm in centre when a sharp knife is inserted (35 minutes or so). Like a custard tart. Pumpkin Fritters Two cups cooked mashed pumpkin, 1 cup flour, 1 egg, level teaspoon baking soda, pinch salt. Mix pumpkin, flour and salt, stir in beaten egg, then baking soda. Must be very stiff batter. More flour may be added if not thick enough, Fry spoonfuls: in boiling fat. Drain and serve with sugar and powdered cinnamon, or lemon juice. Pumpkin Jam (Good) Five pounds pumpkin, 4% Ib. sugar, 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, pinch cayenne pepper, 42 teaspoon citric acid. Cut pumpkin into ¥- inch squares, cover with sugar and stand all night. Put oranges and lemon through mincer, catching juice. Add all to pumpkin, Boil slowly till clear, Add sugar. Stir till dissolved. About 4% hour before taking up add pepper and citric acid, Test.

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