Slowly, I’ve been trying out George Ohsawa’s various recipes in his book, Zen Macrobiotics. And now finally, after years of following and modifying the recipe off of Libby’s Canned Pumpkin label, I’ve found a much more superior recipe for pumpkin pie! (Not to mention the most excellent recipe for pie crust, which I also found here in Zen Macrobiotics, both on page 73.)
This pumpkin pie is very simple to make, with simple ingredients, no added sugars, and no animal products (that is, no eggs, no butter or lard, no milk or cream) — basically, a delicious vegetarian, vegan, and macrobiotic dish that can be eaten at any meal. People who are sick can even eat it, as long as they omit the apple from the recipe!
I was surprised, actually, at how much it tasted like a traditional pumpkin pie, even though it did not have any of those traditional ingredients in it. It truly was delicious. And my husband liked it so much, he almost ate the whole pie by himself!You can use any type of sweet winter squash for this recipe: sugar-pie pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash, hokkaido-red kuri pumpkin, etc., or my favorite, kabocha (the Japanese word for squash). It's a small, round pumpkin with a variegated green rind and bright orange flesh that's pretty easy to cut.
So, here is the recipe for the best pumpkin-onion-apple pie filling I’ve ever made (see also Ohsawa Pie Crust):
Ohsawa Pumpkin Pie Filling
371º F preheated oven
7-inch glass pie plate
33-40 minutes
1 tablespoon sesame oil, unrefined, organic
1 cup (or 1/2 pound) sweet pumpkin, sliced, with rind removed, or pre-cooked (see step 3 note below)
1 cup (or 1/2 pound) onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, unrefined, finely ground
1 apple, unpeeled, diced
Step 1: Saute the diced onion in sesame oil until it’s soft and translucent.
Step 2: Add the sliced pumpkin and boil in a little water. (Or, use pre-cooked pumpkin instead and omit the water.)
Step 3: Add salt and puree in food processor or blender.
Note: I already had a pre-cooked kabocha pumpkin, which I had previously sliced in half, scooped out the seeds, and baked upside down in a pie plate for about 33 minutes in a 371º F oven. Then I scooped out the cooked pumpkin from the rind and pureed it in the food processor. Next, I added the sautéed onion and sea salt to the food processor and pureed it all together again. By the way, Kabocha, Red Kuri or Hokkaido pumpkins all give the pie a bright rich orange color, which is really pretty. I think that Kabocha is the sweetest.
Step 4: Make one recipe of Ohsawa Pie Crust and divide the dough in half.
Step 5: Roll out one-half of the pie crust dough and line the bottom and sides of the glass pie plate (about nine inches in diameter).
Step 6: Spread the onion-pumpkin puree on top of the crust — it should be about 1-inch deep.
Step 7: Place the diced apple evenly over the onion-pumpkin puree.
Step 8: Roll out and cover everything with the second half of the pie crust dough. Use a fork to seal the edges of the two crusts together.
Step 9: (Optional): Brush egg yolk on top of the crust if desired, which gives it a pretty golden color.
Step 10: Cut a cross in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape.
Step 11: Bake in a preheated oven at 371º F for 33 to 40 minutes. (The second time I made this pie, I baked it for 45 minutes, which made it too brown.)
Related Blog Articles:
Re-Reading "Zen Macrobiotics"
No More Sugar (Saturday, January 1, 2011)
One Week Since No More Sugar
