Easy alternative to canned pumpkin

My 10-year-old daughter has been studying Native Americans in social studies, and she’s been intrigued by the trio of crops known as the Three Sisters. Planted together, corn, beans and squash were the agricultural backbone of many tribes because they produced foods that could be eaten immediately, preserved or converted to other staples. Mass production has long since swallowed up these crops in America—especially corn—but locally grown specimens from small family farms are within reach at our local farmers markets.

Now is the time for squash. You can still find summer yellow squash and zucchini, but what’s exciting is the abundance of winter squash and pumpkins at the Red Stick Farmers Market. This weekend, I picked up a Hubbard Squash from vendors John and Betty Chenier from Opelousas and took it home and made “pumpkin” pie. Even if you’re not a baker, it’s ridiculously easy and worth trying.

For starters, here’s a foolproof way to bake the squash. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half longwise and scoop out the seeds. Place each half cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cut surface lightly with olive oil and bake for one hour. Let cool.

My squash weighed five pounds and yielded about six cups of cooked squash. I only used two for the pie, leaving plenty for squash puree, a snappy cinnamon-infused side dish I like with pork. I also froze a cup to make a squash sheet cake later, a favorite family recipe I’ll be glad to share if you email me directly.

As for the pie, I decided to use a prepared pie crust instead of making one homemade. I picked up a package of Immaculate Baking Co. refrigerator crusts for $4 from Whole Foods that worked well, but I’ve used my fair share of Pillsbury refrigerator crusts in the past when I’m rushed. With a mixer, I beat the two cups of cooked squash just until it resembled lumpy mashed potatoes. I added three-quarters of a cup of dark brown sugar (light would be fine, too) a teaspoon of cinnamon, one quarter-teaspoon each nutmeg, ginger and cardamom, one-half cup of half-and-half, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and two eggs. I blended it just until the ingredients were combined, then poured it into the unbaked pie shell and baked it at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Pumpkin pie screams for whipped cream, so I made a quick maple version by whipping heavy cream and drizzling in vanilla extract and maple syrup until sweetened to taste.

A fresh pumpkin pie can be made from all sorts of native winter squash or pumpkins, which have a depth of flavor that surpasses canned pumpkin. It’s a lot of fun to ask market growers about the profiles of their squash and pumpkins—they usually have great suggestions. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Maggie Heyn Richardson writes about food and wine for 225. Her food writing has also appeared in EatingWell, Taste of the South, WRKF in Baton Rouge and on the national radio program, On Point. She is author of the chapter on Louisiana food history in the forthcoming LSU Press book, Louisiana From Alexandria to Zydeco, edited by Ryan Orgera and Wayne Parent. Email her your comments and suggestions at [email protected].