Rather than buying a can of pumpkin puree, you can steam your own fresh pumpkin and use the tender, cooked meat as pumpkin pie filling or in a host of other baked goods, such as tasty seasonal cakes and cookies. Choose a pumpkin that is designated for cooking, such as a small pie pumpkin, instead of a pumpkin grown for carving and decorating. Carving pumpkins tend to have less flesh and more seeds than small baking pumpkins.
Step 1
Use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the entire pumpkin. Discard the skin.
Step 2
Cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp chef's knife. Use a large metal spoon to remove the seeds and stringy innards from the pumpkin halves.
Step 3
Chop the pumpkin flesh into 2-inch-square cubes with the chef's knife.
Step 4
Set a steamer basket into a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the water just touches the bottom of the basket.
Step 5
Place the pumpkin cubes in the steamer basket and set the lid on the pot.
Step 6
Set the pot on the stove and turn the burner to medium heat. Bring the water to a boil.
Step 7
Reduce the heat and simmer the water for 25 minutes.
Step 8
Stick a fork into a pumpkin cube to check for doneness. The pumpkin will be soft when cooked. It can take up to 40 minutes for the pumpkin to be fully cooked.
Step 9
Remove the steamer basket from the pot and pour the pumpkin chunks into a bowl.
Step 10
Puree the mixture with a stick blender or potato masher if you are replacing canned pumpkin puree with the freshly cooked pumpkin.
