My life's birthday tradition is pumpkin pie. Don't get me wrong, I love cake just as much as the next five year old, but pumpkin pie is meant to be eaten on November the 10th. On this great day, mid fall in North America and mid spring in South America, the crisp wind of almost winter and not yet summer should bring hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and earthy vegetables to the palate. A buttery crust topped with creamy spiced filling is just what you need. And lucky for me, here in southern Chile, ten days into November, pumpkins are abundant for the taking. While their jack-o-lantern faces are rotting on many a door step in my hometown, here, around Valdivia, they are rotting in the fields unless someone decides to cook one up. Pumpkin season has almost past, people are sick of the stuff and ready for corn, cherries, tomatoes and other warmer weather eats. So, there are piles of them in the grocery, $3, pick your pumpkin. And I'm not sure why, but it seems that here, there is not an industry that cans them. Forget trying to find your Libby's pie in a can, when pumpkins are ripe, harvest them, and when you want to make a pie, you've gotta start from scratch.
Thank you for all of the nice birthday wishes. If you would like see more photos of my first journey converting pumpkin to pie, click the arrow below. Also, at the bottom you will find a few photos of the dinner that Pablo made to accompany the pie.
