Secrets of blanks: dried pumpkin. Dried Pumpkin Dishes: Recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Pumpkin is one of the most popular vegetables in dietary and baby food. In a dark, cool room, fruits can be stored until spring. But a cut pumpkin cannot be preserved for a long time. In addition, the grown fruits often reach enormous sizes, and the family is not able to eat such an amount of pumpkin for a maximum of two weeks. That is why this vegetable is recommended to dry. And how to do it right, we will tell in our article.

Dried pumpkin: calories and nutritional value

Pumpkin, like most other dried vegetables and fruits, retains the same set of nutrients that were contained in it fresh. The dried vegetable contains all the important vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body, dietary fiber, which has a beneficial effect on metabolic processes and helps to eliminate toxins.

Dried pumpkin gives strength during physical exertion, has a positive effect on all organs of the digestive system, strengthensmemory. Moreover, the semi-finished product obtained as a result of drying does not require additional heat treatment. Dried pumpkin contains 1.8 g of proteins (2% of the daily requirement) and 8.4 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of vegetable. Calorie content depends on the type of fruit and is approximately 41 kcal per 100 grams. Thanks to this, pumpkin can be included in various diets, used in the preparation of low-calorie diet soups, cereals, etc.

Three ways to dry pumpkin

There are three main ways to dry a pumpkin at home:

1. Drying pumpkins outdoors is best outdoors, but a kitchen can also work.
2. Dried pumpkin in an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits - with this method of processing fruits, the required temperature is maintained, which allows you to save a maximum of useful substances.
3. Drying pumpkin in the oven - can be used as an alternative to an electric dryer. If the technology is followed, it also produces tasty and he althy dried vegetables and fruits.

In addition, dried pumpkin can be cooked with sugar or unsweetened, while preserving the natural taste of the product. Read more about how to dry pumpkin in different ways below.

How to air dry a pumpkin

This method was also used by our grandmothers when they made harvesting of apple, apricot and other drying for the winter. Sliced pieces of pumpkin according to this recipe are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet, and preferably a sieve that will provide good ventilation. After that, the workpiece with pieces of vegetables must betake it out into the open air (in the courtyard of the house or on the balcony) and place the baking sheet in such a way that the rays of the sun fall on it. With good weather, dried pumpkin will be ready in 2-3 days.

You can also dry the pumpkin in the kitchen. To do this, it is cut into thin slices and hung with a sewing needle on a nylon thread. In this case, the pumpkin will dry under the hood or over the window for about a week.

Dried pumpkin, the recipe of which is proposed above, has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, it is difficult to maintain the necessary conditions of sterility, since flies will land on vegetables anyway. Secondly, autumn weather is not always favorable for drying.

How to dry a pumpkin in an electric dryer?

The easiest and most convenient way to dry a pumpkin is in a special electric dryer. And although the vegetables in it are dried from 12 to 24 hours, this happens without the direct participation of a person. It is enough to fill the trays with chopped pieces and turn on the device. After 12-20 hours, the dried pumpkin in the dryer will be ready. The temperature in the device is maintained at 55 degrees at all times.

Cut the vegetable for drying into small pieces no more than 3 cm thick. The time the pumpkin is in the dryer will depend on the size of the cut. Before drying, the pieces can be boiled for 5 minutes in sweet water (100 g of sugar per 1 liter of water). Thanks to this, pumpkin dried in an electric dryer will have a richer taste and bright color.

Store the finished pumpkin ina glass jar covered with a cloth (parchment paper) and tied with an elastic band. You can also use a special bag made of natural fabric for storage.

Drying pumpkin in the oven

Drying a pumpkin in the oven is much faster than in the air, but not as convenient as in an electric dryer. Nevertheless, it is this method of obtaining drying that is most often used by housewives.

Before sending the baking sheet with the pumpkin into the oven, it is recommended to blanch the sliced vegetable by dipping it first in boiling water for 2 minutes, and then in cold water. This will help keep the pumpkin's bright orange color. Water can be made sweet or slightly s alty.

After the water drains from the pieces of pumpkin, thrown into a colander, they must be laid out in one layer on a baking sheet and sent to the oven for 5 hours, where they will dry at a temperature of 60 degrees. After 2 hours, increase the temperature to 80 degrees and continue to dry the vegetable for another 2 hours. Then turn off the oven and leave the baking sheet in it until it cools completely.

Dried pumpkin in the oven is slightly soft inside. It can be added to sweet pastries, milk porridges or eaten instead of sweets with tea.

Sweet dried pumpkin

The whole advantage of this recipe is that you can get not only a sweet pumpkin, which is easy to replace sweets, but also a bright and fragrant pumpkin syrup. Drying an orange vegetable according to this recipe is recommended in the following sequence:

1. Pumpkin pieces (1 kg) about 3 cm thick put in a saucepan, add a glass of sugar, cover with a flat plate and topput oppression, for example, a three-liter jar of water. Send the pan to the refrigerator overnight.
2. After the specified time, drain the juice into a separate jar and save it for syrup. Pour the pumpkin pieces back with sugar and put the pan in the refrigerator for another 10 hours.
3. After the time has elapsed, take out the pumpkin, and pour the preserved juice into the pan and boil it, adding sugar to taste. Boil the juice for 10 minutes, then add pumpkin pieces to it and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, without allowing the syrup to boil.
4. Put the pumpkin in a colander or sieve, after which the juice can be preserved.
5. When all the excess liquid drains from the pumpkin, the pieces can be dried using any of the methods suggested above.

Candied pumpkin in an electric dryer

In an electric dryer, you can cook he althy vegetable candied fruits from pumpkin, which are in no way inferior in taste to natural “sweets” made from pineapple, bananas and other fruits. At the same time, in order to improve the taste of candied fruits, it is recommended to additionally use spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger). Also, dried pumpkin goes well with citrus fruits (lemons, oranges).

To prepare candied fruits according to this recipe, you will need 0.5 kg of pumpkin, a glass of sugar and peel from 1 orange. First, the vegetable must be cut into pieces, then covered with sugar and left in this form for several hours so that the pumpkin starts juice. After a while, you need to add the diced crusts to it and put the pan on the fire. Boil the pumpkin for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the stoveand leave the mass to infuse for 6 hours. After the specified time, boil the pumpkin again for 5 minutes, and then again let it brew for 3 hours.

Then put the vegetable pieces on pallets, previously covered with parchment, and leave in the electric dryer for 6 hours. After the specified time, the candied fruits will be ready.

Pumpkin chips

You can make thin dry pumpkin leaves both in the oven and in the electric dryer, but it is preferable to use the second drying option. You need to start the process of processing a vegetable with baking. To do this, the pumpkin is cut into several large pieces, the seed part is removed from it, and the vegetable itself, with the peel, is sent to the oven, heated to 170 degrees. The baking time depends on the size of the cut pieces and is 20-40 minutes.

After the vegetable is ready, it must be cooled and with a spoon remove all the pulp to the very peel. With one pumpkin weighing 2 kg, about 2 cups of pulp are obtained. It also needs to be laid out on a pallet of an electric dryer in a thin layer, about a glass per baking sheet. The pumpkin will dry for 16 hours at a temperature of 55 degrees. As a result, thin orange sheets are formed. Dried pumpkin in the dryer turns out to be quite fragile, so it breaks well into pieces. This makes chips that store well in a glass jar.

Pumpkin powder

The leaves obtained as a result of drying the pulp can be used in cooking directly in this form, or you can make pumpkin powder out of them. For this chips,dried according to the previous recipe, you need to grind in a coffee grinder or electric meat grinder with a special nozzle. If the grind is too coarse, the powder should be sieved through a fine sieve, and then grind it again.

Dried pumpkin, whose recipe calls for drying the pieces rather than the pulp, can also be used to make pumpkin powder. Only it will need to be preliminarily held in an electric dryer for 4 hours so that the pieces become hard inside. It is almost impossible to turn a soft pumpkin into powder.

What dishes can I cook with dried pumpkin?

Dried pumpkin in the form of unsweetened pieces is most often used to make puree soups. To do this, it is boiled in s alted water, where it increases in volume several times. After that, other vegetables are added to the soup, and at the very end of cooking, it is mashed with a blender. Sweet candied fruits are usually added to baked goods along with other dried fruits.

Dried pumpkin for the winter has found even more use in the form of pumpkin powder. It is used in the preparation of absolutely any dishes. To do this, the powder is first soaked in water (1 cup of water per ¼ cup of powder), and then added directly to the dish. You can use the powder directly in dry form, use it as a breading for meat and fish, or add it to flour, making it brighter and tastier.

Dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds, candied fruits and dried apricots

This is a great way to make regular darkchocolate is more beneficial. To do this, its taste is enriched with candied pumpkin, dried apricots, raisins and dried seeds.

For the preparation of candied fruits, the recipe for dried pumpkin (sweet) will be relevant. Dried apricots and raisins (50 g each) must be soaked for several minutes in warm water, and then dried on a paper towel. Dry the pumpkin seeds in the oven at a temperature of 160 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring constantly so as not to burn. On a sheet of parchment, draw a square with sides of 20 cm to mark the boundaries of the future chocolate bar.

Then you need to melt the chocolate (200 g) in a water bath. Pour it on parchment, top with candied fruits, dried apricots and raisins, as well as pumpkin seeds, peeled or not. Cool chocolate for 2 hours. Then cut into pieces and store in the refrigerator.

He althy banana and pumpkin sweets

To prepare such sweets, you will also need pumpkin pulp (0.5 kg) baked in the oven. Then a small banana is added to it, sugar to taste and pureed with a blender. The resulting puree is spread with a spoon on a marshmallow tray in an electric dryer (about 6 tablespoons), spread evenly in a thin layer and dried for 12 hours. During this time, the sheets will not become dry, as when cooking chips. They will be soft and pliable. They are rolled into a tube, which is then cut into portioned pieces.

Do-it-yourself dried pumpkin sweets are moderately sweet and very he althy. They can be given to childrenstarting at the age of one.

Pkhali from dried pumpkin: Georgian cuisine

Pkhali (mkhali) is a Georgian dish that can be prepared from any vegetables, meat, fish or offal, but the dressing is always the same. Dried pumpkin is always used for pumpkin pkhali. It is boiled in s alted water, then thrown into a colander and allowed to drain excess liquid. After that, the pumpkin is cut into small pieces.

The dressing is always prepared from the same ingredients. To do this, use walnuts (2 cups), cilantro, celery and dill, ucho-suneli (1 teaspoon), garlic (3 cloves), vinegar (3 tablespoons). Next, the pumpkin is mixed with dressing and allowed to brew for about an hour. During this time, the pumpkin will absorb all the liquid from the sauce and may become too dry. If necessary, you can add a little water to the snack.