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Dessert

Stewed Pumpkin or Squash for Pies

Stewed pumpkin or squash, cooked slowly until tender and dark, then pressed through a colander for use in pies.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Stewed Pumpkin or Squash for Pies

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the pumpkin or squash in half and remove the seeds.

  2. Slice it into thick pieces, pare the outside, and cut into small pieces.

Stew

  1. Place the pieces in a large pot or saucepan with a small amount of water.

  2. Cook slowly until tender.

  3. Move the pot to the back of the stove to prevent burning and cook slowly, stirring often, until the moisture is dried out and the pumpkin looks dark and red.

  4. Once cool, press the mixture through a colander.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Pumpkin or squash
Forms the bulk of the filling, becoming smooth and thick when cooked down and pressed.

The step that matters

Cooking down until the moisture is dried out. Pumpkin holds a lot of water, and cooking slowly on low heat while stirring often drives it off gradually. Stirring prevents scorching on the bottom of the pot. Leftover moisture would make the pie filling runny and watery.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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