Spiced Pumpkin Preserves Food

PUMPKIN PRESERVES

Steps:

• Layer pumpkin with sugar in a large bowl.
• Cover and let stand overnight, stirring once or twice.
• Next day, drain juice off of pumpkin into saucepan.
• Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
• Add pumpkin pieces, grated rind and chopped pulp of the lemon.
• Add cloves (tied in a cheesecloth bag).
• Cook on a slow boil for 40 minutes, or until pumpkin is clear and the mixture sheets from a spoon.
• Remove the cloves and pour into hot sterile jars.
• Seal.

SPICED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cumin and cayenne. In a large bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the pumpkin seeds, then add the sugar mixture and toss until the seeds are completely coated.
• Spread the seeds out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until crispy, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

PUMPKIN PRESERVES

Steps:

• Combine pumpkin & sugar in a large pot and let sit for 30 minutes.
• In a small pot, combine lemon & water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat & simmer until tender (10-15 minutes). Drain.
• Cook pumpkin and sugar over low heat until sugar dissolves (7-10 minutes).
• Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the fruit is transparent and syrup is thick (10 minutes).
• Remove from heat and stir in the lemon. Stir for 5 minutes, skimming foam from surface.
• Pour into hot, sterilized jars & seal.

SPICED PUMPKIN PRESERVES

Steps:

• Prick pumpkin chucks with a fork.
• Combine rest of the ingredients in a sauce pan and boil 5 minutes to make the syrup.
• Add fruit (in batches if necessary) and simmer until pumpkin is slightly tender.
• Spoon hot pumpkin in clean hot pint jars.
• Fill with hot syrup leaving 1/4 inch head space.
• (Prepare more syrup if necessary).
• Seal and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
• *If you use whole cloves, spike the pumpkin pieces with them.
• **Try to even out the stick cinnamon among the jars.
• ***This recipe needs to age.
• Best if left.

SPICY PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon (see tip below). Cut into wedges or chunks (keep the skin on) and tip into a bowl. Put the garam masala, and 1 tsp each of the coriander and cumin into a small bowl and mix with 2 tbsp of the oil and season. Drizzle over the pumpkin and toss well to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a baking tray, spread out evenly and roast for 40-45 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until the pumpkin is very soft when pierced with a fork. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes.
• Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until soft. Add the ginger, garlic and remaining spices and chilli flakes, and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
• When the pumpkin is cool enough to touch, use a spoon to scoop the soft flesh from the skins. Add the soft pumpkin to the stock pan, discarding the skins. Remove from the heat and blitz the soup with a hand blender until creamy and smooth. Season to taste, adding extra chilli or garam masala if you like. Put back over a low heat and stir in the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, then serve in bowls with a drizzle more cream and a pinch of chilli to serve. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds, if you like.

PUMPKIN CHIP PRESERVES

Steps:

• DAY BEFORE CANNING: Cut the pumpkin into large chunks, discarding the stems, seeds, and stringy innards attached to them. Pare the skin from the chunks. Slice each chunk into pieces 1/2" to 3/4" square, as evenly as you can. Stir to combine the pumpkin pieces in a large glass or ceramic bowl with the sugar, lemon juice and zest, and 1/2 cup water. Cover and let the mixture sit overnight, or a few hours longer, at room temperature. It will give off a good bit of liquid.
• DAY OF CANNING: Prepare 5 or 6 half-pint canning jars by washing thoroughly. Place the jars on a rack in a boiling water canner, but DO NOT add water yet!
• Spoon the pumpkin mixture into a large heavy saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook, covered, until the pumpkin pieces are quite tender, but still hold their shape and have become somewhat translucent in a glaze of thick syrup, about 30 minutes.
• As soon as you have reduced the heat for the pumpkin mixture, fill the canner with water; water should be at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. You may need to add 1 cup of white vinegar if you have hard water in your area. Boil the jars for 10 minutes to sterilize. It will take about 20--30 minutes for the water to come to a boil. Start timing from the time it reaches a good steady boil.
• While pumpkin is cooking, blanch the lemon slices in a small saucepan of boiling water, just enough to soften them, and drain. Stir the lemon slices into the chips just before removing the preserves from the heat.
• Once the jars have sterilized and the pumpkin is ready, remove jars from canner to a surface covered in heavy towels or layers of newspaper. (NEVER place hot jars on a bare countertop, as the difference in temperature could cause jars to shatter!) Spoon the chips into the hot jars, leaving at least 1/4-inch head space.
• Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Refrigerate jars after opening.