Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!
Fall is surely The Season for pumpkins and apples. I know in the States pumpkin is a big deal and people make sweet and savory dishes with it. On the other hand, here in Greece pumpkin was not as popular as on the other side of the Atlantic. Only lately, have housewives started making things with this vegetable. Traditionally, pies are just about all that was made with pumpkin, sweet and savory ones. Taking into consideration that Greece produced and continue to do so a very wide range of fruits and vegetables, pumpkin was spurned and did not enjoy the respect, usage, acceptance and love it enjoys in the US.
Nevertheless as the University of Illinois informs us, “References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.” “Pepon” was nasalized by the French into “pompon.” The English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion.” Shakespeare referred to the “pumpion” in his Merry Wives of Windsor. American colonists changed “pumpion” into “pumpkin.””
There is a funny story in our folklore about an uneducated priest and a pumpkin. In Greek Orthodox religion worshipers must fasten for fifty days before Easter. In a small village in the central area of Greece many, many years ago the priest, so as to not lose counting of the days had the following idea: He took an empty pumpkin and threw 50 corn seeds in it. Every day that was passing by the priest removed one seed and so on and so forth. He figured out that the day the seeds would finish, that day would be Easter Sunday.
Whenever someone from the poor and also uneducated peasants asked him how many days remained till Easter Sunday, the priest, so as to be on the safe side, sneaked into his home where he was keeping the pumpkin and counted the seeds. He then went on and answered the question.
One day, his wife found the pumpkin with the seeds in it. She thought that the priest put the seeds there in order to store them and keep them safe. She thought that that was an excellent idea and she picked some well-rounded healthy seeds herself and put them in the pumpkin.
The next day when the priest went for the usual counting, he looked at the pumpkin stunned. He, immediately, thought that God increased the number of seeds so as to punish them by prolonging their fastening. So, from then on when they asked him how many days were left until Easter Sunday, he replies with holy fear:
“As the pumpkin showed neither this year nor next one we will have Easter Sunday”
(Source: http://www.bkanellos.com/news)
My family and I were on a trip to Nafplio and on our way back we saw these cute mini butternut squashes and I thought I should make a Sweet Pumpkin Pie the Greek way to show you one way of making this vegetable. It is extremely easy to prepare and it is not overly sweet. If you want to try something new and you are not the person who loves loads of sugar in her/his sweets, then I highly suggest you tried this one.
For savory Greek pumpkin pies you can check these Marmarites from the island of Skyros!
- 2 small butternut squashes
- 1 kilo / 2 lb. pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup fine semolina
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground clove
- 2 large puff pastry sheets or 4 small ones
- 1 egg, slightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
- Preheat oven to 200° C / 400° F.
- Take a big pan fill with water up to its middle and put the pumpkin cut in the middle, with the cut part phasing up.
- Bake for about an hour or until their inside is soft.
- Remove and let them cool.
- With a spoon dig them and take out all the inside.
- Put it in a blender and make it a puree.
- In a skillet put the pumpkin puree in medium/low heat and let absorb most of its liquids.
- Throw the sugar, raisins, semolina and spices and mix until they are all incorporated.
- Take two pans 29cm X 18cm / 12 in. X 7 in. or one large, butter them and place one puff pastry sheet in each.
- Divide the pumpkin mixture in two and pour the one half to the one pan and the second half to the other.
- Cover with another puff pastry sheet in each pan.
- Brush the puff pastry sheet with the egg wash to make it shiny and bake in the same temperature as above for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- 2 μικρές κολοκύθες
- 1 κιλό πουρέ κολοκύθας
- ¾ φλ. ζάχαρη
- 1 φλ. σταφίδες
- 1 φλ. σιμιγδάλι ψιλό
- ½ κ.γ. κανέλα
- ⅛ κ.γ. μοσχοκάρυδο τριμμένο
- ¼ κ.γ. γαρύφαλλο
- 2 φύλλα σφολιάτας μεγάλα ή 4 μικρά
- 1 αυγό, χτυπημένο με 1 κ.σ. νερό
- Προθερμάνετε το φούρνο στους 200° C.
- Κόψτε τις κολοκύθες στη μέση.
- Πάρτε ένα μεγάλο ταψί και γεμίστε το με νερό μέχρι τη μέση.
- Βάλτε μέσα τις κολοκύθες με την κομμένη τους πλευρά να βλέπει προς τα πάνω.
- Ψήστε για μία ώρα περίπου ή μέχρι οι κολύθες να μαλακώσουν εσωτερικά.
- Βγάλτε από το φούρνο και με ένα κουτάλι αφαιρέστε τη σάρκα τους.
- Βάλτε τη σε ένα μπλέντερ και κάντε τη πουρέ.
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα βάλτε το πουρέ κολοκύθας σε μεσαία/χαμηλή θερμοκρασία και αφήστε να απορροφήσει το μεγαλύτερο μέρος των υγρών του.
- Ρίξτε τη ζάχαρη, τις σταφίδες, το σιμιγδάλι και τα μπαχαρικά και ανακατέψτε μέχρι να ενσωματωθούν.
- Πάρτε δύο ταψάκια 29 cm X 18 cm ή ένα μεγάλο, βουτυρώστε τα και βάλτε ένα φύλλο σφολιάτας στο κάθε ένα.
- Διαιρέστε το μίγμα κολοκύθας στα δύο και ρίξτε το μισό στο ένα ταψί και το δεύτερο μισό στο άλλο.
- Σκεπάστε με το άλλο φύλλο σφολιάτας.
- Αλείψτε το φύλλο σφολιάτας με το αυγό, για να δώσει χρώμα και γυαλάδα και ψήστε στον ίδιο φούρνο για περίπου 30 λεπτά ή μέχρι να ροδίσει.