If They Made Pie In Guatemala...

They would probably use corn. Maiz makes Guatemala go 'round (and accounts for approximately three million tortillas per person, per meal). Why is this on my mind? Because I'm going to Guate tomorrow, for ten days! Morgan has never been and I'm excited to show her around a bit. I worked on a coffee farm there, back in my Watson Fellow days ('03-'04) and have been back twice. Me encanta. We'll hit up the world's most beautiful lake, some highland towns, the colonial cloud city Xela, and my favorite coffee farm on the planet, ending up in ritzier Antigua for New Year's. I'll bring a notebook and a few t-shirts and not much else - hooray, simplicity. Okay, I'm bringing underwear, a fleece, and deodorant. But you get the idea.

Anyway! If Guatemalans did make pie, they might also go for squash. It's one of the three sisters, after all, a New World staple. Making a pumpkin pie from scratch is an earthy, gooey experience that results in THE BEST pumpkin pie in the universe. Believe me, it's just better. It's smoother, richer, and lighter. Plus it's so fun. It takes brawn. You hack up the pumpkin like a pioneer woman, gut it, bake it, mash it, and strain it. It felt like channeling Laura Ingalls Wilder. Or maybe Hester Prynne, I'm not sure. Don't be deterred - it's not too hard, though it takes a bit longer than with the canned stuff. The key was to bake it in a little water, in a Dutch oven, for a good hour - then blend it and strain it well. It lost a lot of liquid after straining, saving us from a watery pie. It's a pretty slice, isn't it?

Follow your favorite pumpkin pie recipe...
and this link for step-by-step photos / instructions on prepping the pumpkin!

Comments

long beach kelster said…
Hope you 2 have a fabulous time in Guatemala! I'll think of you while baking my basic can o' pumpkin pie tomorrow...don't have the time for the good one! Or a dutch oven....
:-) Love to you both!
December 23, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Pi-Rene said…
Thanks! And we did. Hope you had a great Xmas / New Year's, too! Love to you both and hope to see you sometime in '09.
January 5, 2009 at 10:58 AM
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