Here’s a dish that is perfect for Sukkot and Thanksgiving and very easy, especially if you use canned potatoes and pumpkins. Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America between 7000 and 5500 BCE Although prevalent in the Far East, pumpkins gained popularity in Europe beginning in the sixteenth century after their discovery in the New World.
Substitute pareve margarine for the butter for a dairy-free dish. Don’t be afraid of the coconut milk. It is very subtle and rounds out the flavors.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or pareve margarine
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk
2 eggs
One 15-ounce can unflavored pumpkin puree or 1 small pie pumpkin
One 29-ounce can of yams in light syrup, drained and mashed, or 3 large yams
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2-inch piece of stick cinnamon, broken into pieces
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 whole cloves
Directions
- Place the butter or margarine in a 2-quart glass bowl and microwave for 45 seconds.
- Whisk the sugars, flour, and salt into the butter to combine.
- Whisk the coconut milk into the mixture until thoroughly blended. Add the eggs and combine.
- Add the pumpkin puree and the mashed yams and whisk until a smooth batter is formed.
- Combine the water with the spices in a small glass cup and microwave on high for 11/2 minutes. Let the mixture steep for 5 minutes. Strain the spiced water through a fine-mesh strainer into the pumpkin-potato mixture and stir to incorporate.
- Butter a 2-quart casserole and pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
- Bake covered in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 hour. Serve.
Additional Notes
- Always use a small sugar pie pumpkin when cooked pumpkin is called for. Larger pumpkins are more watery and more like acorn squash.
- To cook a pumpkin, cut into large chunks, peel, and cook in boiling salted water until tender—about 20 minutes. Drain and mash.
- Coconut milk is not milk or dairy. It is the liquid formed from ground, fresh, hydrated coconut.
- This dish freezes beautifully! Just cool completely before freezing so no ice crystals form. Defrost and reheat in the microwave.
