From Scratch Scratch Scratch

i love to cook, and here during my two months so far of having zero responsibility in Brasilia, i've finally had time. in order to get some of the things i'm used to back home, i've had to do a lot of it from scratch.

for instance, i am now a master at making stewed tomatoes.

the biggest from scratch project was preparing pumpkin. i had to do it twice, and hopefully never again.

first, you get the meat man at the grocery story to cut up the pumpkins for you. hopefully you speak enough Portuguese to at least say, Please, Cut, Can you, Half, Thank You Thank You Thank You.

there are three kinds of pumpkin (abobora--great word) that i've found. green-skinned, which has the best flavor, squatty orange, which are fine, and long skinny ones, which are gross. one of the pics below shows all three.

next, you bake them all flesh-side down in the oven at 325 degrees for an hour and a half. do this on a semi-cool day, because otherwise your Brasilian kitchen is going to be toasty. at least do it in the morning so that your bedroom, which is right next to the kitchen, doesn't get the punishment. all of these good things i've learned.

once they're soft and yummy, you scrape all the flesh out and puree still smooth and creamy. Next, put all pumpkin in coffee filters. it sits like this for at least four hours for all the water to drain. it's surprising how much soaks off.

then, you have it! i have to say, it is quite satisfying to really make things from the ground up. i'm like just a bonnet and 6 babies shy of a pioneer.