I spent a morning with a group of volunteers at the Food Bank of the Rockies, filling bulk food orders for area churches and organizations that distribute food and supplies to people who need help in this difficult time. Non-perishable food that has been donated, is separated into boxes weighing up to forty pounds each. We witnessed a critical shortage of canned and packaged, non-perishable, quality food. Only one box of assorted canned and packaged food was sent to each location because there wasn't enough supply to give everyone what they needed. Some of the churches were requesting ten or more boxes, but they received one.
I, personally, am weary from hearing all the blame and rhetoric about the economy and joblessness, and banter about who is at fault. The reality is, there are people in our communities and our neighborhoods, many of them children who did not choose their circumstances, who are hungry. When you're doing your holiday shopping this week, please pick up some extra canned fish, meat, peanut butter, or other high protein non-perishable foods. And if your church or school has a food bank, please donate if you can. My friend Susan has the following quote from Winston Churchill embedded in her e-mail signature and coincidentally, our volunteer tee shirts were printed with the same quote that I think is an appropriate reminder.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
On to the recipe...
This week I took a leap of culinary faith and overcame my fear of pumpkin. I'm not afraid of all pumpkin, as a matter of fact canned pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients. But the desire to cook with fresh pumpkin has always escaped me.
I've cooked many types of winter squash, including the giant, green Hubbard variety, and that didn't scare me a bit. But two things have kept fresh pumpkin out of my shopping cart; the fact that cans of pure pumpkin are stacked to the ceiling this time of year, and what I've determined is pumpkin carving baggage.
From the age of five, the week before Halloween, we would bring home as many pumpkins as there were kids at home, cover the kitchen table with old newspaper and get out the biggest, heaviest knife in the house. The thick-bladed knife with a worn, wooden handle, was crafted from one of grandpa's old push lawnmower blades. Nothing went to waste in his time. It was a knife that was reserved for mom or a kid old enough to handle the weight and potential of the blade. One good stab into the top of the pumpkin set the stage for cutting open the top, creating the exit door for the cold, goopy insides that would need to be scooped out with bare hands. Not an appetizing way to get to know fresh pumpkin. Add the smell of a lit candle burning inside after a few nights on the front porch, and it's no wonder I never felt the need to cook one to eat.
I approached my first, fresh pie pumpkin, which was really very pretty, as if I had grandpa's lawnmower blade knife in my hand. It cut fairly easily, to my surprise. I scooped out the seeds and strings with a large spoon and roasted it cut-side down on a baking sheet at 350 degrees. The tag on the pie pumpkin suggested removing the stem, poking holes with a large fork far enough in to reach the seed cavity, and roasting it whole on a baking sheet for an hour and a half. Anyone who knows me knows I am far too frugal to run the oven for that long for one vegetable, so I cut the pumpkin in half before roasting, also cutting cooking time and electricity used in half. There are only two things I don't economize on any longer, shoes and haircuts. I've had enough bad of each to know that inexpensive ones aren't worth the pain they cause.
After about forty minutes, I pulled the soft, caramelized pumpkin halves out of the oven to let cool. Still slightly warm from the oven, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, I took a taste. Not what I expected and not what I had heard about fresh pumpkin!. No stringy flesh and no bitter taste, it was smooth and sweet and delicious.With any luck there will be some left for baking.
The key to cooking with fresh pumpkin is to use a variety meant for eating, not jack-o-lanterns. The stores will identify them as such, and I personally won't hesitate using fresh pumpkin in the future.
Pumpkin pie is as much a part of Thanksgiving dinner as turkey, and recipes for pie are everywhere this time of year. Rather than sharing another pie recipe, I decided to come up with something a little more interesting, just as tasty, and more healthful. The idea came from one of my favorite fall and winter desserts, fresh apple cake. The cake is made with a little batter holding together a lot of fresh, chopped apples and raisins. The traditional recipe calls for a large amount of vegetable oil that I usually replace with three parts apple sauce and one part vegetable oil. The only other ingredient that could possibly make it better would be roasted pumpkin. Here is the result, Pumpkin Apple Spice Cake with Browned Butter Glaze. It is truly a delicious, moist cake that can easily be made with canned pumpkin.
I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. I am truly grateful for everyone who has read my blog in the last two years. Your interest in my passion for cooking means more to me than you will ever know.
Pumpkin Apple Spice Cake With Browned Butter Glaze
Makes a 9"x 9" cake. Can be doubled in a 9" x 13" pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With electric mixer or whisk by hand, mix together the following:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup pure pumpkin. If using canned, not pie filling mix, just pure pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
Add:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix following ingredients together in separate bowl and then add to wet ingredients. Stir just until combined, don't over mix or it will make it tough.
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Stir into batter and spread into 9" x 9" baking pan.
1-1/2 cups apples that have been peeled, cored and diced. (If using organic apples, wash the apples and save the peels for a snack. So good for you!)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts if you like, I don't eat nuts but they would be good too.
Bake at 350" for about 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Browned Butter Glaze
This makes enough to drizzle over each piece before serving, or drizzle over the whole cake, whichever you prefer. If you need to add a bit more milk to make it thinner, use 1 tsp.at a time.
4 T. unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 T. milk
Melt butter over medium low heat - keep your eye on it and let it brown, but not burn. This should take 5- 7 minutes. There will be dark sediment in the bottom of the pan, don't worry about it. Pour the brown butter (but not all the sediment) in a bowl and whisk in the vanilla, sugar and 1 T. milk. Add more milk if you want the glaze thinner.
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