RE: Cooking with AG's/Pumpkin Leek Soup/Suggestions for cooking AG's to canned consistency

I've been pureeing my AG for about a week now and have some insight for cooking with the AG.
I've tried baking, boiling and steaming. I've made breads and pies.
Here's what I learned.

1. Neatest and quickest cleanup if you cut the pieces into small 1 or 2 inch chunks.

2, Bake the pieces in a covered casserole dish at 375 for about an hour and a half. You can use a little liquid to help but if you want pie, you have to remove it again.

3. Puree either in the blender or food processor. This is safest if the cooked pumpkin has cooled.

This puree is good for making soups and breads and the breads you can make either in the stove or bread machine! Add more sugar to the recipe than called for! I made a cranberry/pumpkin bread on Saturday that was just  a little too tart. More sugar  (about a 1/4 cup in that recipe) remedied the next batch.
(Of course if I had waited for Don Langevin's second book, I would have known this before I got started!)

The puree will freeze nicely in 1 gallon ZIploc bags!

For pie .... I found you need to do the following

4. Drain the puree (this is the key) in a colander with cheescloth. By this I mean line a colander with cheesecloth, scoop in the puree (NOT TOO MUCH) . Wrap the puree with the cheescloth and cover with a plate. Then put  a heavy object on the plate (A big bag of rice 5-lb does the trick nicely!)   

5. After about an hour a LOT if liquid will have drained and you will have puree that is just about the consistency of the canned stuff. (If in doubt about it being thick enough, add a little cornstarch or cream of tartar to your pie recipe. I added a teaspoon of cornstarch!

I found that the color is lighter than the canned stuff...more like squash...(but we make squash pies too don't we.) but the flavor is subtle and sublime!

Oh, one more thing. Don Langevin, I think I'll have to bake a pie for you since I read this week in your second book that you have never had a pie made with an AG! 
We had one for dessert here last night and my coworkers tore through one today at the office!. 
Kristina Ickes
-----Original Message-----
From:	Peneilope@aol.com [SMTP:Peneilope@aol.com]
Sent:	Thursday, November 19, 1998 6:24 AM
To:	'pumpkins@mallorn.com'
Subject:	Pumpkin and Leek Soup


Hi everyone, 

Here is another pumpkin recipe I got from the recipe list I am on.  Thank
goodness this one calls for "real" pumpkin!  I was starting to get a little
embarrassed about posting recipes that called for the can stuff! Ha ha.


Pumpkin and Leek Soup 

Recipe By : The New Pasta Cookbook 

       1 small pumpkin -- cut in pieces 
       1/2 cup butter 
       2 leeks, white part only -- thinly sliced 
       1 large Spanish onion -- chopped 
       3 to 4 potatoes -- peeled, diced 
       2 cups milk 
       2 cups chicken stock 
       1/3 cup orzo -- or risoni 
       salt and white pepper 
       pinch cayenne pepper 
       1 cup heavy cream 
       1 tablespoon fresh mint -- finely chopped 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place pumpkin pieces skin side up and close together in a large baking dish.
Pour over 1/2 cup water and bake for about 1 hour, or until a fork
pierces the flesh easily.
Melt half the butter and gently saute leeks until softened. Remove and set
aside. Add remaining butter and cook onion and potatoes until golden.
Stir in milk and simmer for 20 minutes. Don't worry if the milk reduces; just
make sure that there is enough liquid to prevent sticking to the pan.
When pumpkin is tender and golden, remove from oven, cool, then remove skin
and any excessively browned surfaces. In the meantime, put
chicken stock on to boil, add orzo and cook until barely done. Remove pasta
with a slotted spoon and set aside with leeks. Reserve stock.
Now blend pumpkin and potato mixture in a food processor or force it through a
fine sieve. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
Transfer to a clean saucepan and blend in the hot stock. Add cream, bring to
the boil, and then stir in leeks and pasta. If the soup is too thick,
thin it with extra stock or water. Adjust the seasoning and stir in mint. 
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