How to store pumpkins and winter squash: these are great for storage! Just leave in a cool dark place, or any place! No need to keep in fridge before cutting them up. If I have squash/pumpkins on my table I put a plate under them in case there's a nick in the pumpkin I can't see and it goes bad. If the pumpkin is in tact with no cuts or nicks it should last for months.

"For pottage and puddings and custards and pies, Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies, We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon, If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon." Pilgrim verse, circa 1633

Winter Squash Recipes: Pumpkins ARE a winter squash! You can nearly always interchange pumpkin flesh with winter squash in most recipes.

Tagliolini con la Zucca
Pumpkin Pasta
adapted from the Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed

1 pound fresh pasta or less of dried (she calls for tagliolini, I used whole wheat thin spaghetti)
3# piece of pumpkin (or about 1 butternut squash? 1 sugarpie pumpkin? I used a whole mess of yummy puree I'd made from a butternut squash.)
4 Tablespoons butter (I used olive oil, butter would likely be divine here.)
1 leek (I used 2 leeks) well chopped
1 stick celery well chopped
chicken stock
S & P to taste
Grated Nutmeg to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Melt half the butter and add the chopped leek and celery. Peel the pumpkin (or butternut!) and remove seeds and any stringy fibers. (none in these puppies, don't worry.) Cut the pumpkin into thin slices. (or skip the peeling/cutting and roast and puree the whole thing like I did. see notes below for that option.) Add pumpkin in slices or as a puree to leek and celery and stir for a few minutes. Add a little stock and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin slices are cooked through. OR cook for a shorter while if using the puree. Add more stock from time to time if necessary to keep moist. Check the seasoning and add S & P and nutmeg to taste. Process in a food processor (I used my stick blender!). Return to the pan to keep warm. Cook the pasta according to directions, and avoid overcooking. Fresh pasta will only need a few minutes, so add the cream to the sauce as soon as you have thrown the pasta into the boiling water.
Drain the pasta and place in a heated dish. Stir in the freshly grated cheese and then the pumpkin sauce. Mix well, add the rest of the butter, and serve at once.

Cinderella Pumpkin Soup

by Julia and Michelle

4 cups cooked pumpkin
2 cups chopped onions
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups white wine freshly ground pepper
kosher or sea salt
1 cup heavy cream (special occasion) OR 1 cup milk (weeknight dinner)

Optional garnishes:
grated nutmeg
chopped crystallized ginger
croutons or
freshly popped popcorn

Lightly brown onions with the olive oil in a thick-bottomed soup pot. Add garlic and cook until it softens but doesn't brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, broth, and wine, stirring to blend. Add S & P. Cook for 30 minutes or so over medium heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Puree soup. Serve hot with 2-3 T cream in each bowl. Garnish as desired. Serves 8, or 4 with yummy leftovers.

Julia's Perfect Pumpkin Pie

First the pumpkin:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut and remove seeds from one medium sugar pie pumpkin, or 2 small ones. Bake in glass dish cut side down for at least 45 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces the entire wall of the pumpkin.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Next the crust:

For best results use a 9 inch pie plate and have foil and beans or pie weights available

4 tablespoons EACH cold unsalted butter and shortening, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3-6 tablespoons ice cold water

In a food processor, whirl the dry ingredients together, then drop the butter and shortening pieces into the processor and pulse a few times until the mixture looks crumbly and there are no lumps larger than peas.

Mix above mixture in a mixing bowl with 3 tablespoons of the cold water. Add water a ½ tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough is pliable and releases from the sides, but isn't too sticky. After 3 Tablespoons or so it's easiest to use your hands to bring the crumbs into a dough. Don't wash the food processor yet.

Refrigerate in waxed paper as a thick disk for at least ½ an hour while you prepare the filling. After about 30 minutes, roll out dough until it's about 13 inches in diameter. Fold it over, and place into a 10 inch pie plate. Trim edge to about ½ an inch beyond the end of the pie plate, tuck in crust and pinch the edge into a design. Lightly place some aluminum foil or parchment paper onto crust, then put in some pie weights to cover the bottom (or dried beans) This step helps to make the perfect pie shell. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

FILLING:

2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup half and half
4 large eggs

In the bowl of the food processor, remove any large clumps from the making of the crust, and add the pulp from the pumpkins, discarding the skin and any renegade seeds. Whirl the pumpkin until thoroughly pureed. Measure out 2 cups of the pumpkin, and reserve the rest for another use. (See soup recipe or add about a cup to any pancake or cookie recipe.)

In the bowl of the food processor, mix the pumpkin with the spices and the brown sugar. Remove to a saucepan, and heat until it's lightly bubbling. In the bowl of the food processor, whirl the eggs with the half and half until mixed, then add gently to the warm pumpkin mixture. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, stirring a few times. Pour warm pumpkin mixture into the warm pie shell, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until center is still slightly wobbly. Cool on a rack for at least an hour. Enjoy with whipped cream or ice cream.

LAURA'S GLAZED PUMPKIN GINGER BARS

Adapted from Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Shepherd and Raboff

1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup chopped candied ginger

GLAZE:

1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 to 4 tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10x15-inch baking pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy then add brown sugar, beating until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin, beating well. Add dry ingredients, mixing until batter is smooth. Stir in nuts and candied ginger. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan.

Combine confectioners' sugar with lemon zest. Add lemon juice gradually to confectioners' sugar, adding just enough to give the proper consistency for spreading. Spread on the warm bars. When cool, cut into diamonds or squares and store covered for a day to let flavors blend before serving. Makes 4 dozen.

Best Baked Mini-Pumpkins adapted from Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider

Cut off the caps, scrape out seeds, season, re-cap, and bake. That’s all it takes to give each diner a yummy little pumpkin, custom-flavored. Bake while you roast some meat or vegetables, or both! Or, for an all veggie meal, serve with braised greens and toasty baked grains. Make sure you cook dull skinned (not shiny coating like the supermarkets do just for decoration!). As the Cinderella coaches bake, natural oils surface and they turn as glossy and bright as painted and shellacked decorations.

For Each Serving:

1 mini pumpkin
pinch of ground coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, or garam masala or big pinch of dried savory, sage, or thyme, crumbled to powder
pinch salt
pinch pepper
1 teaspoon butter or nut oil
1 Tablespoon prune, apple, cranberry, or orange juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

1. Set oven to 350 degrees to 375 degrees, as suits whatever else is roasting. With sturdy sharp knife, cut a square (or 5-6 sided ) cap around pumpkin stem, poking into the heart of the squash to cut the fibers. Pry out the cap. With melon ball cutter or grapefruit spoon, scoop out and scrape interior to remove all seeds and fibers. Trim fibers from cap.

2. Sprinkle spice (or herbs), salt, and pepper inside and tap to distribute. Add butter, juice, and sweetening. Set cap back in opening, but do not press in fully (or it may slip inside). Place in baking dish.

3. Bake until creamy-soft inside, about 30 minutes for small squash, 45 minutes for larger ones. Test with knife tip - it should slide through easily. Let stand 15 to 60 minutes, as convenient.

Simple Pumpkin Bread

2 cups mashed/pureed pumpkin or winter squash

Mix and make a well in the center:

3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups sugar

Add to the center along with the pumpkin and stir just until all is mixed in:

1 cup oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water

Then if you like:

chocolate chips, optional

Pour into 1 large and 2 small oiled bread pans (or muffin tins). Bake at 350 for one hour. (Or less for muffins.)

Pumpkin Ice Cream

2 cups cooked & mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream

Mix ingredients, COOL, and pour into Ice Cream Maker.

CRESPOLINI DI ZUCCA
Winter Squash Crepes recipe by Janet Vanderhoof

Filling:
2 c. squash puree (butternut or delicata)
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, chopped (Toast in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.)
1/2 c. shredded parmesan

Mix together.

Make a French crepe recipe. I use 1/2 whole wheat flour. Cook the crepes in a large, buttered, non-stick skillet. Fill and fold each crepe wedge-style. ( Put about 1/3 cup of the filling on one quarter of the crepe. Fold in half and then in half again.) Keep warm in the oven.

Sauce:
Melt 1/4 c. butter. When it foams, add 4 fresh sage leaves per crepe. Crisp the leaves in the butter. Remove from heat before they burn.

Sprinkle each crepe with parmesan cheese and pour the sage butter over. This amount of filling and sauce makes 6 crepes. 2 crepes is a very generous serving.

I first had these at Cafe Mare in Santa Cruz. The waiter described the method and I figured the amounts. Delicious.

Sauteé some chopped onions (1/2 cup or more and a bit of chopped garlic too if you like) in olive oil or butter in a large soup pan. Then add squash pureé (6 cups?) and vegetable or chicken stock. I then use my immersible blender to pureé the whole thing, right in the pan. Add salt and pepper and that's a simple soup. Wonderful additions include: fried sage leaves, chopped cilantro or parsley, sliced mushrooms (fresh or dried, added at the sauté-the-onion stage, if using dried, add the water they were plumped up with too.), sherry, white wine, other cooked vegetable bits, and so on.

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