Pumpkin puree for the winter

In the autumn period the quantity of fresh vegetables in our diet is sharply reduced, and the pumpkin becomes the main decoration of the table, as well as the main source of cellulose, vitamins and beneficial microelements. This unpretentious berry can easily be harvested for the rest of the winter, it is stored for a long time in fresh form entirely or cut into pieces in the freezer.

But there is one significant drawback - the pumpkin takes up a lot of space, which on the refrigerator shelves and balconies is not so much in urban conditions. To constantly feed the family with useful dishes from a pumpkin, you need to prepare it in advance, for example, to cook pumpkin puree for the winter. This universal billet, which will serve as the basis for a variety of different dishes. In addition, properly cooked pumpkin puree is very convenient to use in baby food.

How to cook

To make a puree, different varieties of pumpkin,but it is better to give preference to small berries with juicy, sweet flesh, they are called "sugar", "crumbs" or "babies".These fruits have a less fibrous structure, and their flesh is more pronounced bright color.

The procedure for making mashed potatoes for winter according to any of the recipes consists of several stages:

1. The first thing to do is to prepare a pumpkin. It can be boiled, put out, cooked in a multivark or bake. The latter option is preferable, since it allows you to save most of the nutrients, in addition, during cooking, the pulp is watered and the mashed potatoes can turn watery, such a problem will not arise in the oven.
2. Before cooking and quenching the fruit needs to be peeled off, and before baking, this step can be skipped and cook the pieces of the berry together with the peel, sprinkling a little olive oil. After processing in the oven, the pulp can easily be separated with a spoon.
3. Remove seeds and fibers, cut into several pieces. The cooking time differs depending on the chosen method, in the oven and on the plate the pumpkin will be prepared for about an hour, in a multivariate 45-50 minutes.
4. The next step is to grind the fruit with a blender, a food processor, a meat grinder, a crush, a pistil, a sieve or the most common fork. Some landladies chop the pumpkin in raw form before heat treatment, but it is easier and more qualitative to do this with a soft, thermally processed pulp.
5. Then the ground pulp of the pumpkin is re-heat treated. It is important to take into account when cooking, the fact that after cooling the mashed pot will thicken.
6. The resulting puree can be given different shades of taste. For this, various spices and additives will be useful:
   • sugar, syrup, honey, condensed milk and spices in sweet mashed potatoes;
   • lemon juice or citric acid in powder as a preservative. Lemon juice can be replaced with any sour juice - cranberry, orange, pomegranate;
   • a citrus peel;
   • carrots, zucchini, salt and spices in salted puree;
   • apples, pears and other fruits.
7. Another hot mashed potatoes are laid out on sterile jars and put in storage in a darkened cool place.

What to cook from pumpkin puree

On the basis of puree from a pumpkin, prepared for the winter, you can cook a variety of dishes. A poor preparation will serve as an ideal basis for making soup-mashed potatoes. To do this, puree is combined with crushed boiled potatoes, onions, garlic, cream and other ingredients to taste, serve a dish of breadcrumbs or croutons, decorating with fresh herbs.

Very tasty sauce is produced based on pumpkin puree, which is served to meat and poultry dishes.

The dish can be filled with cream, cream or lean oil and served as a garnish. In children's puree often add cottage cheese or sour cream.

If you add a little diluted water or milk jelly, you get a useful jelly dessert for the whole family. A dish for adults for flavor is served with a small amount of liquor or sweet syrup.

Types of pumpkin puree

Pumpkin puree can be cooked for the winter for adults and for children. The cooking techniques are somewhat different. There are many options and recipes for billets, you can prepare a salty dish, which will serve as the basis for preparing the first dishes, sauces and garnish, sweet mashed potatoes will serve as a useful bright dessert. The winter billet is prepared with the addition of apples, pears, carrots, cowberries.

Recipe for sweet mashed potatoes

To prepare two liters of sweet billet for the winter, you will need:

• 1.5 kg pumpkin;
• 500 grams of granulated sugar;
• 1 cup sour juice( orange, lemon, pomegranate to choose from).

Preparation:

1. Pumpkin cut into pieces together with the skin, put on a baking tray and bake for 55-60 minutes, setting the temperature 180 degrees.
2. Slightly cool and remove the pulp with a spoon.
3. Fold it in a blender, grind it.
4. Transfer to a wide bowl, pour in the juice, cover with sugar.
5. Put on a stove and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the plate and immediately disintegrate into sterile glass jars.
7. Cover with lids and cool, then transfer to storage in the basement, cellar or pantry.

Unsweetened puree

To make a regular, unsweetened puree, you do not need to add sugar and juice during cooking.

1. Pumpkin pumpkin, treat the pulp to a smooth mashed state and boil for 10 minutes on low heat.
2. Then put into pre-treated jars, cover with lids and sterilize cans with mashed potatoes for 20-30 minutes, depending on their volume.
3. Close the jars with lids and cool. During the preparation, you can add a little spice to the preparation to taste.

Such puree can be treated even to young children, only spices in the preparation process is not necessary.

For children

Pumpkin consumption is very useful for a growing body. Dishes from this berry can help prevent many diseases, strengthen immunity and improve the functioning of the digestive system. As a complementary meal pumpkin in the form of puree begin to give babies from 8 months. And more adult children can cook more interesting dishes, for example, to prepare a sweet pumpkin puree for the winter with cranberries.

For this you will need:

• 900 grams of pumpkin;
• 1 cup of granulated sugar;
• 1 liter of water;
• 250 grams of cranberries;
• pinch of cloves.

Preparation:

1. Pumpkin to cut into two halves, remove the inner part - seeds, fibers.
2. Cut into several slices.
3. In a saucepan combine sugar and water, put into the syrup pieces of pumpkin.
4. Place on the stove and wait until it boils.
5. Cranberries crumble through a fine sieve or squeeze the juice through gauze, pour the pieces of pumpkin and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
6. 3 minutes before the readiness to add cloves to the pan.
7. Remove the pumpkin from the plate, drain the broth, pulverize the pulp with a blender or rub through a strainer.
8. Put the mashed potatoes in clean jars and roll them up.

Pumpkin puree with apples

Apples with pumpkin - one of the most successful combinations. Apple-pumpkin puree has a sweet and sour taste, bright color and a pleasant aroma reminiscent of summer warm days. The principle of preparation is the same as that of ordinary puree: all the ingredients boil, grind and mix. Apples are prepared a little faster than pumpkins, this should be taken into account when cooking.

Pumpkin and apple puree in the

multivark In a multi-barrel puree it will turn out to be tasty, useful and will never burn. In mashed potatoes add cinnamon, zest, lemon and orange. The fragrance is simply stunning.

Ingredients:

• 600 grams of pumpkin;
• 600 grams of apples;
• 1 coffee spoon of lemon peel;
• 130 grams of granulated sugar;
• on a pinch of cinnamon and citric acid( or a teaspoon of lemon juice);
• 150 ml of water( or any juice).

Preparation:

1. Wash the apples, peel, remove the core and cut into slices.
2. Pumpkin cut, remove seeds, fibers, grind, skip along with slices of apples through a meat grinder.
3. Put the mixture in the bowl multivarka, add the zest, pour the water.
4. Cook for 30 minutes, setting the "Varka" mode.
5. Add sugar, lemon juice or lemon juice, cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Transfer to jars and stop.

Useful and tasty mashed pumpkin puree will please both children and adults in winter!

Blanks for the winter