Easy Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Many people think that making fresh pumpkin puree is a huge pain in the neck. But it doesn’t have to be. If you bake the pumpkin in halves, you eliminate all the peeling and strenuous scraping. And the flesh comes out firmer, with a fuller flavor than when boiled or steamed. Bake 2 or 3 pumpkins once in the fall, and freeze the puree in pint containers (each is enough for 1 pie), so you’ll have it on hand when you need it. Sugar pumpkins, found at many farmers’ markets, are the sweetest and best.