Secrets of blanks: dried pumpkin. Dishes from dried pumpkin: recipes

Pumpkin is one of the most popular vegetables in diet and children's nutrition. In a dark cool room, the fruit can be stored until the spring. But the cut pumpkin will not be preserved for a long time. In addition, grown fruits often reach huge sizes, and to eat such a pumpkin amount for a maximum of two weeks the family is not able. That's why this vegetable is recommended to be dried. And how to do it correctly, we will tell in our article.

Dried Pumpkin: calorie and nutritional value

Pumpkin, like most other dried vegetables and fruits, retains the same set of nutrients that it contained in its fresh form. The dried vegetable contains all the important vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body, dietary fibers that have a beneficial effect on metabolic processes and contribute to the removal of toxins and toxins.

Dried pumpkin gives strength at physical exertion, positively affects all organs of the digestive system, strengthens memory. And the semifinished product obtained as a result of drying does not require additional heat treatment. The dried pumpkin contains 1.8 g of proteins (2% of the daily norm) and 8.4 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of vegetable. Caloric content depends on the fruit variety and is approximately 41 kcal in 100 grams. Thanks to this pumpkin can be included in the composition of various diets, used in the preparation of low-calorie dietary soups, cereals, etc.

Three ways to dry the pumpkin

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

1. Drying the pumpkin outdoors is the best option on the street, but the kitchen room is also suitable.
2. Pumpkin Dried in an Electric Dryer for Vegetables and Fruits - with this method of processing the fruits, the necessary temperature regime is maintained, allowing to preserve the maximum of useful substances.
3. Drying the pumpkin in the oven - can be used as an alternative to the electric dryer. At observance of technology in it too there are tasty and useful jerked vegetables and fruit.

In addition, the dried pumpkin can be prepared with sugar or savory, while preserving the natural taste of the product. More details on how to dry the pumpkin in different ways, we will tell below.

How to Dry Pumpkin in the Air

In this way, our grandmothers also used to make preparations for apple, apricot and other drying for the winter. Sliced pieces of pumpkin on this recipe are laid out in one layer on a baking sheet, and preferably a sieve, which will ensure good ventilation. After this, the billet with pieces of vegetables must be taken to the open air (into the yard of the house or on the balcony) and arrange the baking tray so that the sun's rays get on it. If the weather is fine, the 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 plates and suspended with a sewing needle on a nylon thread. In this case, the pumpkin will be dried under the hood or above the window for about a week.

Dried pumpkin, the recipe of which is proposed above, has a number of drawbacks. First, it is difficult to maintain the necessary conditions for sterility, because the flies will still be planted. Secondly, the autumn weather is not always favorable for drying.

How to dry a pumpkin in an electric dryer?

It is easiest and most convenient to dry the pumpkin 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 pallets with chopped pieces and turn on the appliance. After 12-20 hours, the dried pumpkin in the dryer will be ready. The temperature in the instrument is maintained at 55 degrees throughout the entire time.

Cut the vegetable for drying in small pieces not more than 3 cm in thickness. The size of the cutting will depend on the time the pumpkin is in the dryer. Before drying, the pieces can be boiled for 5 minutes in sweet water (for 1 liter of water, 100 g of sugar). Due to this, the dried pumpkin in the electric dryer will have a more intense taste and bright color.

Cook the pumpkin in a glass jar covered with a cloth (parchment paper) and a rubber band. Also for storage you can use a special bag made of natural fabric.

Drying the 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. And nevertheless, this method of obtaining drying is used by the hostess most often.

Before you send a baking tray with pumpkin into the oven, cut the vegetables with a slice of it, blanching it first, putting it in boiling water for 2 minutes and then in a cold one. This will help preserve the bright orange color of the pumpkin. Water can be made sweet or slightly salty.

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

The dried pumpkin in the oven turns slightly soft inside. It can be added to sweet pastries, milk porridges or eat instead of sweets with tea.

Pumpkin Dried Sweet

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 the orange vegetable according to this recipe is recommended in the following order:

1. Pumpkin pieces (1 kg), about 3 cm thick, should be added to a pan, add a glass of sugar, cover with a flat plate and put down on top, for example a three-liter jar of water. Pour the pot overnight in the fridge.
2. After the specified time, pour the juice into a separate jar and store it for syrup. Pumpkin pieces again fall asleep with sugar and put the pan in the refrigerator for another 10 hours.
3. At the end of the time, grab the pumpkin, and pour the preserved juice into the pan and boil it, adding sugar to taste. Juice boil for 10 minutes, then add the pieces of pumpkin into it and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, not allowing the syrup to boil.
4. Pumpkin throw in a colander or sieve, after which the juice can be preserved.
5. When all the extra liquid drains from the pumpkin, the pieces can be dried by any of the methods suggested above.

Candied pumpkin in electric dryer

In the electric dryer you can cook useful vegetable candied pumpkins, which are not inferior to the taste of natural "sweets" of pineapple, bananas and other fruits. In addition, in order to improve the taste of candied fruits, it is recommended to additionally use spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger). Also, the dried pumpkin is well combined with citrus (lemons, oranges).

To make candied fruits using this recipe, you need 0.5 kg of pumpkin, a glass of sugar and a crust with 1 orange. First, the vegetable should be cut into pieces, then fill them with sugar and leave in this form for several hours, so that the pumpkin let the juice. After a while to it it is necessary to add diced rinds and to put a saucepan on fire. Cook the pumpkin for 5 minutes, after which the pan is removed from the plate and leave the mass infused for 6 hours. After the specified time, squeeze the pumpkin again for 5 minutes, and then let it rest for 3 hours.

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

Pumpkin chips

It is possible to make thin dry pumpkin sheets both in the oven and in the electric dryer, but it is preferable to use the second variant of drying. Begin the process of processing the vegetable with baking. To do this, the pumpkin is cut into several large parts, the seed part is removed from it, and the vegetable itself is directly 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 a spoon to remove all the flesh until the peel. With one pumpkin weighing 2 kg, about 2 cups of pulp are obtained. It and it is necessary to spread out on a pallet of an electric dryer a thin layer, approximately on a glass on a baking sheet. The dried pumpkin will be 16 hours at a temperature of 55 degrees. As a result, thin orange sheets are formed. Dried pumpkin in the dryer is quite fragile, so it breaks well into pieces. This results in chips that are well stored in a glass jar.

Pumpkin powder

The resulting flesh-dried sheets can be used to prepare the dishes directly in this form, or make them a pumpkin powder. To do this, the chips, dried according to the previous recipe, are to be crushed in a coffee grinder or electric meat grinder with a special nozzle. If the grinding is too large, the powder must be sieved through a fine sieve, and then grind it again.

Dried pumpkin, the recipe of which involves drying pieces, not pulp, can also be used to make pumpkin powder. Only it will need to be held in the electric dryer for 4 hours beforehand, so that the pieces become hard inside. Soft pumpkin to turn into a powder is almost unreal.

What can you cook dishes from dried pumpkin?

Dried pumpkin in the form of unsweetened pieces are most often used to make soups-mashed potatoes. To do this, it is boiled in salted water, where it increases in volume several times. After that, other vegetables are added to the soup, and at the very end of the cooking, a puree is made from it using a blender. Sweet candied fruits, as a rule, are added to pastry along with other dried fruits.

Dried pumpkin for the winter has found even greater use in the form of pumpkin powder. It is used for cooking absolutely any dishes. To do this, the powder is soaked first in water (1/4 cup of powder has 1 glass of water), and then added directly to the dish. You can use the powder directly in dry form, using it as a bread pan for meat and fish or adding it to flour, making it brighter, and the dough is tastier.

Dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds, candied fruits and dried apricots

This is a great way to make ordinary dark chocolate more useful. To do this, its taste is enriched with pumpkin candied fruits, 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) should be soaked for several minutes in warm water, and then dried on a paper towel. Seeds of pumpkin dried in the oven at a temperature of 160 degrees 30 minutes, stirring constantly, so as not to burn. On a sheet of parchment draw a square with sides of 20 cm to denote the boundaries of the future chocolate bars.

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

Useful banana and pumpkin sweets

To prepare such sweets, you will also need a pumpkin pulp (0.5 kg), baked in the oven. Next, add a small banana, sugar to taste and blend with a blender. The resulting mashed potatoes are spread with a spoon on a tray for a pastille in an electric dryer (about 6 tablespoons), distributed evenly in a thin layer and dried for 12 hours. During this time, the sheets will not become dry, as in the preparation of chips. They will be soft and plastic. They are twisted by a tube, which is then cut into portions.

Sweet pumpkin sweets are very sweet and very useful. They can be given to children from the age of one year.

Phali from dried pumpkin: Georgian cuisine

Phali (mkhali) is a dish of Georgian cuisine that can be made from any vegetables, meat, fish or offal, but the dressing is always used the same. For pumpkin phala always used dried pumpkin. It is boiled in salted water, then poured into a colander and allowed to drain excess liquid. After this pumpkin cut into small pieces.

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