Chef's Note
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Chef Wannabee's SmartKitchen.
I've been promising this newsletter for quite sometime now and the
first issue is finally here! For those who signed up on the email list
and have been kept waiting, I thank you for your patience.
 I'd also like to introduce myself. I am Terry Retter, the founder of YourSmartKitchen.
YourSmartKitchen is an online store for cooking and baking equipment.
Our goal is to provide quality products and tools for quality-conscious
chefs, at a reasonable price. YourSmartKitchen is based in Reno, Nevada
and we serve customers throughout North America.
I also author "Chef Wannabee," a cooking blog: ChefWannabee.
On the blog, I publish recipes and comment on the tools needed to
prepare great meals as well as other observations on life around the
kitchen. This newsletter is designed to benefit YourSmartKitchen
customers, as well as my Chef Wannabee fans.
In each issue of Chef Wannabee's SmartKitchen,
you can expect to find a feature article about good cooking (or good
eating), recipes, cooking and baking tips, as well as photos. I will
also be including coupons and sale announcements for the products on
YourSmartKitchen.com. I welcome any comments and suggestions. Please
feel free to contact me at the email address listed below.
Since Halloween is just two weeks away, I've chosen a pumpkin theme for
this newsletter. Carving pumpkins is a lot of fun, but in this issue,
we're going to focus on the pumpkin from a culinary standpoint. And,
please remember, cooking with pumpkins needn't be limited to the month
of October. After all, pumpkin pie season is around the corner, and you
might be surprised learn how many hearty winter recipes there are,
featuring the pumpkin.
I hope you enjoy this first issue of "Chef Wannabe's SmartKitchen," as well as all the other issues to come.
Terry Retter
Editor, Chef Wannabee's SmartKitchen
Pumpkin Pie Spice.
Have you ever scanned through a recipe and noticed that it calls for
pumpkin pie spice? You may have wondered what that was, and perhaps you
chose a different recipe to make because you didn't want to run to the
store and buy yet another type of spice. Here's a tip that will save
you time and money: you can make it yourself. Just blend a ratio of one
part ground allspice, one part ground nutmeg, two parts ground ginger,
and four parts ground cinnamon. Make just enough for the recipe, or
make extra, and store it in an airtight container for future use.
Pumpkins for Grown-Ups
by: Megan F. Just for Your Smart Kitchen
Have
you ever strolled by the massive cardboard bins of pumpkins in the
supermarket, pausing for a moment, toying with the idea of carving one,
just for fun, just like the old days? But then you remember the mess
and how quickly the pumpkins rot, and think about what a waste it is
and you remember that you hardly have the time to do the dishes, let
alone carve a pumpkin. And you roll the cart onward, without a pumpkin.
If you are a parent, you don't get to pass pumpkinless. Chances are,
your children are with you, agonizing over the decision between the
perfectly shaped big boy with the dirty patch on the back, or the
quirky-shaped medium pumpkin cast aside by others. But it's still fun,
isn't it? Or is it the memory of the fun you used to have? After all,
you're the one cleaning the mess now.
Let's move beyond
jack-o-lanterns this year. Grown-ups, treat yourself to a real pumpkin.
The kids can have the granddaddy carving pumpkins. Find yourself a
modest pumpkin, maybe even one that would be considered small. Instead
of carving it, cut it in half. And get ready to cook!
There are hundreds of different ways to use the pumpkin in baking and
cooking. Here are just a few things you can make, starring the pumpkin:
pumpkin butter, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin soup,
pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, and baked pumpkin.
Pumpkin can also be a supporting ingredient in countless other items,
like chilis, casseroles, stews, and even chutney. From pumpkin also
arise cooking accessories like pumpkin blossoms, pumpkin seeds, or even
the gourd itself, used as a serving container or decoration. And
remember, pumpkin can be substituted in any recipe calling for sweet
potato or winter squash.
Other Uses for Pumpkin Seeds.
Home-roasted
pumpkin seeds do not have to be eaten right away. They will keep for
several days in an airtight container (or a sealed plastic bag).
Refrigeration keeps them good up to a week, and they can be frozen for
even longer. Try substituting pumpkin seeds in recipes that call for
sunflower seeds as a topping. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top of
fresh, homemade multigrain bread, right before putting it into the
oven. Use pumpkin seeds as a salad topping or in stir-fry. The uses are
endless!
There are three pumpkin-centric recipes in this newsletter and the
pumpkin pie is purposely not one of them. Kids can get creative with
their pumpkin decorating, adults can get creative with their pumpkin
cooking.
Most recipes that involve pumpkin call for
canned pumpkin. However, canned pumpkin is absolutely not necessary.
The recipe authors assume most people do not (or will not) use fresh
pumpkin. But there is a big difference between the fleshy insides of a
sweet orange pumpkin and the mushy, brownish mess inside a jar of
Libby's canned pumpkin.
To make a recipe that calls for
canned pumpkin with fresh pumpkin, you will need to create your own
pumpkin mush. Here's how:
- Rinse the pumpkin with water and cut it in half.
- Scrape the seeds with a sturdy spoon or scoop (save the seeds for roasting later!).
- Cook
the pumpkin in one of three ways below. The pumpkin is done when it is
practically falling off its rind.
- Stove. Set a steaming basket in
the bottom of a large pot and fill water to the bottom. Get the water
boiling, add the pumpkin pieces, and cover. Cooking time will vary
between eight and 20 minutes. Check the pumpkin frequently for doneness
and to make sure there is enough water left in the bottom of the pot.
- Oven.
Preheat the oven to 325F. Put the pumpkin pieces in an ovenproof
container with a lid. Add about three cups of water to prevent drying,
cover, and bake. Expect the baking to take 45 minutes to an hour.
- Microwave.
Cut the pumpkin into small enough pieces to fit in the microwave,
inside a microwave-safe bowl with a microwave-safe cover. Add a few
inches of water to the bottom of the bowl, and then add the pumpkin
pieces. (It is okay for the pieces to be covering each other, just
remember that if you have a large pumpkin, you may want to cook in
several batches to reduce the total cooking time.) Cooking time will
depend on your microwave and the amount of pumpkin in your bowl. You
can expect between 20 and 30 minutes. Check the pumpkin frequently for
doneness.
- Once the cooked
pumpkin is cool enough to handle, use a large, sturdy spoon to gently
lift the pumpkin from its skin. This should be fairly easy. If not,
cook the pumpkin for a little longer.
- Puree the pumpkin
using a hand blender, a food processor, a blender, or a hand mixer. If
you are patient and strong, a potato masher would work, too.
Three-in-One Pumpkin.
A carved pumpkin only lasts about two days before it begins to shrivel
and mold. An uncarved pumpkin, on the other hand, will last up to two
months, if stored properly. Food for thought: If you paint the pumpkin
instead of carving it, you can get three products out of the one gourd.
1. Halloween decoration.
2. Pumpkin seeds.
3. Raw pumpkin, which is the base of countless recipes.
Acrylic paints work best for painting on the pumpkin's slick surface. Happy decorating AND cooking.
A six-inch diameter pumpkin will make two to three cups of mush. 1 ¾
cups of puree is equal to the standard 15-ounce can of pumpkin. If you
have several varieties of pumpkins to choose from, the small "sugar"
pumpkins are the best type for cooking because their flesh is sweeter
and not as stringy as the big carving pumpkins.
Any
excess pumpkin mush can be frozen. Make sure it is fully cooled before
freezing. If you know ahead of time what other pumpkin recipes you want
to try, you can help yourself by measuring the correct amount of
pumpkin and freezing it in its own unit. This way, you don't have to
thaw a massive brick of pumpkin mush in order to measure out the measly
half cup the recipe may call for. If you don't know ahead of time,
freeze the mush in the default 1 ¾ cup unit. The frozen pumpkin will
keep for up to a year.
Pumpkins are normally sold in
grocery stores from September through December, so make sure to buy
them while you can. Stock up on pumpkins when they go on sale near
Halloween and you'll never again need to fish through the baking aisle
for the canned version. This year, make it a point to return to the
Octobers of your childhood and let yourself have some fun with
pumpkins!
Pumpkin Carving Safety Note.
Always use a
serrated knife when carving or cutting into a pumpkin. The slippery
shell of the pumpkin can cause even the sharpest knife to slip. Use a
gentle sawing motion with the serrated knife to break through the skin
before applying a lot of power.
If you have any questions regarding this newsletter,
products, recipes or just want to express on opinion, please send us a
note. And if you can not find something at your local store or on our
site, send a query and we will endeavor to find it for you.
If you found this newsletter interesting, please forward it on to your friends.
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