A DIY Homemade Pumpkin Puree

On Mondays post of Pumpkin Pie Biscotti, I talked about getting a large orange squash from my CSA.  It then decided that it was a long pie pumpkin.  When faced with so much pumpkin, I decided to use it nose to toe so to speak.  I would make a pumpkin puree from the flesh and roast the seeds for a snack and then compost the spent pumpkin skin.  No waste here!  The Sweet and Salty Pumpkin seeds will be up on Friday.  Today is all about how to get out that gorgeous deep orange flesh!

And really, that first photo above?  That's the hardest part.  Yep, cutting the thing in half.  The easiest way to do it is to cut off both ends and then stand it up on a cut end.  Then you can slice pretty easily cutting it in half.

After you cut it in half, scoop out the seeds (and reserve for a tasty snack).  You place the pumpkin cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes at 400.  You can prick the pumpkin with a fork to check that it is tender.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Then use a spoon to scrape out all that delicious pumpkin flesh.  Spoon it into the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth - it doesn't take much.  Admire the gorgeous orange color.

Admire the orange color so much that you sit the processor down on the dirty rug in your kitchen that sits right in front of the sink.  Just kidding.  Don't do that.  It's not an attractive look for the puree or your rug.

I only needed a half of a cup of the puree, so I froze the rest in individual ½ cup portions in zip lock bags.  It really is such a gorgeous color and I am so excited to have 3 ½ cups of this puree in my freezer - perfect for a taste of fall all winter long!

I'm linking up with:

Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage