So, this is the belated pumpkin post.

I got a pumpkin a week and a half ago from one of the other farmers at my market. And some apples from another. I announced to the world that I was making pumpkin-apple pie, and they all scoffed. So I made a pie for our Fakesgiving and I had one slice and my boyfriend had the rest. And I made little baby pies to take back to the market.

Mini Pumpkin-Apple Pies
1 1/2 cups pumpkin (mashed or pureed)
1 diced hard, tart apple (I recommend Gold Rush, but if you can't find that opt for Granny Smith.)
2 eggs (of best possible quality)
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk (whole preferable to skim)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground clove
bag of gingersnaps (I needed 21 of them. I used Mi-Del--they fit the bottom of my muffin cups pretty well.)
paper muffin cups (See if you can find the unbleached killing-the-earth-a-little-less kind.)

Preheat oven to 425F.
Fill muffin pan with baking cups. Put a gingersnap at the bottom of each.
Mix together remaining ingredients.
Ladle 1/4 cup of mix into each cup.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then decrease to 300.
Bake until custard sets.
Remove from oven. Allow to cool in pan. Remove from pan.
Repeat until you've used all your mix.
Bake loose pies at 300 to cook out moisture. How long this takes I'm not sure. Long enough to have sex?

And I still had pumpkin left, so I made something I thought of as Olmec Soup, just because I was reading about Mesoamerican farming innovations that day.

Sweat a chopped shallot or other onion in oil of choice. Add 2 cups mashed pumpkin. Add chicken or vegetable stock to cover. Add 1 can black beans. Chili powder and Goya Adobo to taste. Cook until hot. Puree if you want--I enjoyed the purple of the beans against the bright yellow-orange of the pumpkin.

Fun fact: most of the canned pumpkin sold in this country is actually butternut squash.

I still have pumpkin left. What should I do with it?