Pumpkin Puree

Ingredients

1 3-4 lb sugar or pie pumpkin
3-4 cups water (about 1 cup per pound of pumpkin)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Cut the sugar pumpkin into large chunks. Clean out the "guts" and seeds.
3. Pour the water into a large baking dish. 
4. Place the pieces of pumpking flesh down, skin up into the baking dish. Cover with foil.
5. Bake for about 60 minutes until tender to a fork - the skin will be very loose on the pumpkin and you may be able to see it curling up or a gap between the skin and the flesh of the pumpkin.
6. Remove pumpkin from oven, let cool at least part way - handle it whenever you like, just don't burn your fingers!
7. Peel the skin off the pumpkin pieces.
8. Puree the flesh of the pumkin using a stick blender or food processor. 

Tips

1. If you're not using the puree in the next few days, store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. 
2. If you know you're using this instead of canned for pumpkin pie, you can add the spices before you freeze it. This replaces about 1 can of pumpkin puree. Many of the same spices work well for the puree as a side dish as well.