i went to the pumpkin patch with my family last weekend and got a big pumpkin... i thought about carving a face into and calling it a day... but after i excavated the seeds, i started feeling really motivated.... so i cut it all up, froze half of it, and cooked the other half of it. i was left with about 5 cups of pumpkin mush.. what to do what to do. we yesterday i did this.
pumpkin gnocchi:
gnocchi
1 1/2 cups of pumpkin cooked and mashed
lots of flour
1 taspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnimon
1 teaspoon of salt
sauce:
lots of extra virgin olive oil
a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce
2 hot chile peppers chopped
salt to taste
:combine the pumpkin, flour, and spice. start with one cup of flour. the recipe i found called of one cup... but i think i ended up using three... it should have a smooth but sticky consistency that can be rolled into a ball
: separate the dough into five or six pieces, and roll each section into a long snake. cut the snaky dough into small bite size pieces.
: bring a large pot of water to a boil, and drop the pieces into the water. you'll know they are finished when they float to the top.
:for the sauce, just combine all of the ingredients into a large pan, and heat up.
:after the gnocchi are removed from the water, put them into the pan with the sauce. coat the with the sauce and let the cook in the pan for just a few minutes.
this was really good. they have kind of a dumpling sort of feel to them. if you are the kind of person that insists on exact measurements... then i can't really help you... but they turn out fine with out exact measurements. they were really filling, and i think a perfect fall meal. they re-heat in the microwave very well, too!
and then today i'm did this.
pumpkin empanadas:
dough:
4 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/3 cup of veggie shortening
1 cup of milk
filling:
2 cups of pumpkin, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of salt
:combine flour, sugar and baking powder.
:cut in veggie shortening until the dough looks like corn meal.
:pour milk over the dough, and mix in until everything is coated.
use your hands to roll the dough into a ball, then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a little while.
:for the filling all you have to do is mix all of the ingredients together. pretty simple.
:roll the dough out until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick.
:the recipe i found said to cut the dough into 4 inch circles... i may or may not do that... if i do, i'll probably just use the lid from my sugar canister. i may decide to use a smaller cookie cutter to make mini-empanadas... we'll see.
:after to cut the dough into circles, place the filling on each. don't over fill. fold the circles in half over the filling and press down along the edges to seal. you can paint the edges with a little egg white to ensure sealage.
:bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or until light golden brown.
i think the best part was the crust. it was just really flakey and light. i have no idea how to develop a pie crust, but i think that there is a chance this could be a perfect pie crust. i didn't add the teaspoon of salt to the filling, but looking back, i think that it would have made the flavors a bit more noticeable. also, after they were done baking, i brushed some water on them and sprinkled sugar and cinnamon over the top. kevin and i have already started to dream up other possible fillings for these. if you aren't much for baking, don't be scared of these... i'm not either...
