Native American Pumpkin Candy Recipes

CALABAZA EN TACHA (MEXICAN CANDIED PUMPKIN) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut the stem off of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and stringy parts, saving seeds to make pepitas, if you like.
• Leaving the rind on, cut each piece in half lengthwise again and again until you have 8 to 10 long strips of pumpkin. Leave pumpkin in strips or cut it into smaller pieces.
• Zest and juice the orange .
• In a large saucepan, bring orange zest and juice, piloncillo or brown sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks to a boil.
• Carefully add in the pumpkin pieces and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for an hour or two, until pumpkin is fork tender and the rest of the ingredients have reduced to a thick glaze.
• Remove from heat and let cool. Allow a long strip or two-or several smaller pieces-per portion.
• Serve at room temperature, spooning a little of the glaze over the pumpkin pieces. Eat with a spoon, leaving the inedible outer pumpkin rind (and any cinnamon sticks) in the dish.

CHOCTAW FALL CAKE (NATIVE AMERICAN PUMPKIN CAKE) RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Generously oil and flour a bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon and cocoa. Add pumpkin, oil, eggs, vanilla and blend well. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake 40-50 minutes. turn out onto a wire rack to cool and serve with whipped cream if desired warm or cooled.

PUMPKIN CANDY

Steps:

• Peel and seed pumpkin and cut into 2x4-inch strips.
• Put strips into bowl just big enough to hold them.
• Stir baking soda into enough water to cover strips. Pour over strips and let stand 12 hours.
• Drain and rinse strips in running water.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop strips into water. Cook until tender but not soft.
• Remove strips and crisp in ice cold water. Drain.
• Juice lemon and cut zest into strips.
• Combine sugar, lemon juice, zest, cilantro and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then boil slowly without stirring for 10 minutes.
• Add pumpkin strips, cover pot, and simmer for 20 minutes, until syrup is thick and strips are brittle.
• Spread candy on wax paper and let dry for 10 hours.
• Store pieces in an airtight container.

COOKED PUMPKIN [NATIVE AMERICA]

Steps:

• Here is the method I use to cook it: Cut the pumpkin into quarters and remove the seeds and fibers.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and bake the pumpkin quarters 45 minutes, until tender.
• Remove from the oven and scrape the flesh from the skin.
• Place in a food processor and puree.
• Run through a sieve to remove any remaining fibers and use the pumpkin according to the recipe instructions.
• Cooked pumpkin will keep about 1 week in a nonmetal, covered container in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.