Roasting a Pumpkin - How to roast a pumpkin - a pictorial

Pumpkins are so versatile and they can be used in a lot of recipes. Baked goods are tastier when the pumpkin is roasted and the pulp extracted rather than steamed. Pumpkin seeds are delcious when roasted so save and dry them.

Halloween pumpkins, the ones that are used for carving take a lot longer to roast and not as good for cooking. So avoid using those for baking but they might work well in cooking recipes.

The time for baking the pumpkin is dependent upon the type of pumpkin. It can be done as quickly as 20 minutes or it can take as long as 50 minutes for the halloween type hard pumpkins. Depending on the type of pumpking watch from 20 minutes on so they are not burnt .

How to roast a pumpkin?
Preparation Time:5 minutes
Baking Time:15-25 minutes (50 minutes if it is a thicker skinned pumpkin)
Ingredients

1. 1 pumpkin
2. 2 tsp of oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Clean the pumpkin, wipe dry, split in half lengthwise. Rub oil on the outside and also on the inside.
3. Sprary oil on a baking tray and place the pumpkin skin side down. Roast for 15 minutes.
4. Flip and roast on the other side for another 10 minutes till a knife inserted comes out clean.
5. With a spoon remove the pulp to a container.

Wash the pumpkin, pat dry and cut in half lengthwise and then rub some oil on the inside and outside.
Spray the tray and put the skin side facing up. Preheat the oven to 350F, and bake for 15 minutes and if required flip and cook with the skin side down for another 5-10 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes without any resistance.
Using a spoon the pulp can be easily scopped up for use.

Fig Jam

Having a sweet tooth simply means, it is a daily struggle to keep your hands mouth away from anything and everything that has sugar = these days anything that is processed. Even products that are sold as savory or healthy options have sugar in them. Think Fat Free means Sugar Full :) Store bought jams and jellies for morning breakfast means you are consuming 4-5 tsp of sugar right in the morning. Fruits are good but store bought jams and jellies, I am not so sure. I'd rather save the sugar for savoring some dessert later in the day. Homemade jams/jellies gives you the option to control the sugar and what else goes into it.

Should I grow Fig Trees?
Having fruit trees at home gives you the option to have fresh fruit right away :) If you live in a tropical, semi tropical or an area where you do not get sub zero temperatures, there is no excuse not to grow them. They are no fuss and do very well with fairly minimal maintenance. We get freezing temperatures in the winter, early morning frost and copious amounts of snow some years but even in these conditions figs do very well for instance near a south facing wall. The wall gives protection and some warmth. In much colder places they can be grown in containers which can be brought indoors during the cold months. Your local extension might have advice on how and where to grow and what varieites. Here is a link to what grows best in for us in Maryland.

End of August is when we start harvesting figs. This year the first fall frost was 2 weeks late so we enjoyed figs for a bit longer. If you are hard pressed for time to do anything with them, you can always eat them fresh and freeze the excess for use in smoothies. With the season extended I got some time to savor the figs and make some jams. Just 3 ingredients and I have resorted to cooking jams/jellies in an Instant Pot and that makes it even more easier to do.

it is just as easy on the stove top and should take the same amount of time or lesser. I use an Instant Pot because the saute mode provides constant heat and there is no danger of burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. I have added far less sugar than the usual jelly recipes call for. Usually the ratio of fruit to sugar 2:1. That is a lot of sugar for a fruit like fig which is itself extremely sweet when ripe. All I needed was 1/4 cup of sugar for 2 cups of figs. So adjust for your needs accordingly.

Get the ingredient for the fig jam ready. Chop the figs.
Transfer the figs, sugar and lime juice and gently mash.
Cook the figs mixture till the liquid evaporates and the jam coats the back of the spoon.
Transfer to sterlized containers.

Fig Jam
Preparation Time:5 minutes
Cooking Time:15-20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 cups of figs (about 15-20)
2. 1/4 cup of raw sugar
3. 2 tbsp of lemon/lime juice

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the figs, remove the top step and cut the fig into smaller pieces.
2. Transfer the cut figs into a saute pan if cooking on stove top or instant pot, mix in the sugar and lemon juice into the cut figs and gently mash with a potato masher.
3. Place the saute pan on the stove or if using Instant Pot set it to cook in saute mode.
4. Stir continuously till the liquid almost evaporates and the jam coats the back of the spoon. Do a water test, take a small plate with some water in it. Add a small bit of the jam on to the water and if it does not dissolve the jam is ready.
5. Transfer to a sterilzed glass jar once the jam is coolerd down to room temperature.

Jam is ready for toasts or to sppon over ice cream and enjoyed. Like what you are reading? Subscribe!

Red Jalapeño chili sauce with vinegar or Jalapeño thokku (Farm to Plate)

I grow several kinds of chilies, some of them spicy and used for cooking, some are not so spicy and used for making fritters and jalapeño wghich I grow mostly for making pickles (in vinegar) and also for making stuffed jalpaenos or even making a gravy.

In the height of summer, when everything needs to be harvested, peppers seem to be the ones left behind because they don't go bad. While most of the hot green chilies are harvested while green, sometimes I let them get red or ripen. I heard somewhere that they lose their heat as they start to ripen but the opposite is true. Some of these peppers start to get hotter (spicier) when they turn red.

I had left some of the jalapeño without harvesting for a while and I realized that they had ripened. I now have developed this habit of thinking like folks in Andhra do almost naturally is to wonder if I can make some kind of pickle with them. I tried to make Szchewan sauce with the ripened jalapeño and they turned out so much more milder than the hot red chilies and they were mistaken for a spread. So I decided to reduce the vinegar and eliminate the soy sauce and try making a spread with them.

Since these jalapeño also carry an underlying fruitiness to the taste they seem to be perfect for making a thokku or a spread to be used on breads or sandwiches. While they are really good as a spread they can be used as a chili sauce for sauteing vegetables or chicken.

A typical Indian version of the jalapeño thokku is here.

Recipe in pictures.

Cut the jalapeño into halves and removes the seeds and ribs.
Take the jalapeño in a blender jar and blend to a paste.
Cut onions and garlic. Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan and when hot, add the onions and garlic.
Saute the onions and garlic till they turn brown.
Add the blended jalapeños and cook till oil separates. Add salt. Add more oil if required. Finally finish with vinegar.

Works great as a spread.

Red Jalapeño Relish or Jalapeño thokku
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:35 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 cups of jalapeños
2. 1 cups of chopped red onions
3. 1/4 cup of chopped garlic
4. salt to taste
5. 2 tbsp of white distilled vinegar
6. 1 cup of oil (i used sesame oil)

Method

1. Slit the jalapeños in half and remove the seeds and ribs (use gloves while doing this).
2. Take the cleaned jalapeños in a blender or nutribullet and make a farily smooth paste.
3. In a wide mouthed pan (i used a clay pot) add about 1/2 cup of oil and when hot add in the garlic and onions and saute till they start to turn brown.
4. Add in the blended paste and cook till oil starts to separate and mixture looks shiny. Add salt and vinegar and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Cool and transfer the pickle to glass jars. Glass jars can be sterilzed by putting them in the microwave for about a minute.

Like what you are reading? Subscribe!

Cauliflower Manchurian with Szechuan Sauce (Easy Indo Chinese)

Summer is a busy time around the farm but it is the time when we get to enjoy the abundance that nature bestows on us. So posting recipes to the blog takes a back seat.

Making Szechuan sauce is simple, with vinegar added the sauce is good for a few months. Refrigerated they last even longer. Once you have the sauce it is pretty versatile and can be used for making noodles, manchurian recipes, fried rice, chili paneer, chili roasted chicken etc.,

The sauce can be made with any kind of ripe chilies mild or hot. I made this sauce again with jalapeno peppers. Slightly different and fruity in taste but just as versatile.

Fall time is when we have an abundance of ripened chilies. They can be frozen for later use. if you can grow just 2-3 chili plants, it will provide you with enough chilies for the whole year.

When the outside temperature starts to dip, these are the kind of dishes you crave,
Recipe in pictures.

Take the required amount of the Szechuan sauce. In a bowl take the cauliflower florets and add the corn starch, black pepper, chili powder and salt.
Mix the powders with the cauliflower florets and set aside. Put a pan of oil to heat for deep frying.
Deep the florets and set aside to drain on paper towels.
In a saute pan, heat oil and add finely chopped garlic and grated ginger and saute for a minute. Add in the onions and bell peppers and saute till they start to turn color.
Add in the deep fried cauliflower and the szechuan sauce and mix it in. Saute till the saue is coated on all the caulilower pieces. Turn off the heat.

Paired with some fried rice or noodles, this makes an excellent meal.

Cauliflower Manchurian with Szechuan Sauce
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 head of cauliflowr separated into florets
2. 1/4 - 1/3 cup of Szechuan Sauce
3. 1 cup of 1 inch diced red onions
4. 1 cup of 1 inch diced bell pepper
5. 1 tbsp of finely minced garlic
6. 1 tbsp of grated ginger
7. 2-3 tbsp of corn starch
8. 2 tsp black pepper
9. 2 tsp red chili powder
10. salt to taste
11. oil for deep frying + 1/2 tbsp of oil

Method

1. Set a pan of oil to heat for deep frying.
2. In a mixing bowl, take the cauliflower florets and add in the corn starch, pepper powder, chili powder and salt and fingers mix the powders into the cauliflower florets.
3. OnceAdd the florets to the oil and deep fry them and set aside to drain on paper towels.
4. In a wide mouthed pan, add oil and when hot add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute. Add in the onions and bell pepper pieces and saute till the onions become translucent.
5. Add the fried cauliflower florets and saute for a minute, now add the szechuan sauce and mix it in and saute till all the pieces are well coated.
6. Add salt if required and turn off the heat.

Like what you are reading? Subscribe!