I just cut them in quarters and remove the strings and the seeds. Bake them in a 350F oven until they are soft, about 45 mins. Scoop the flesh from the seeds and strain to remove excess liquid. Process the warm flesh in a food processor or blender and strain again to make a nice dense pulp. Freeze it in 1 c portions for later use. Sugar pumpkins are wonderful with a nice creamy flesh and rich flavor - almost a bit like butternut or kabocha squash. Here is a fun favorite.
Pumpkin Tapioca
1 sugar pumpkin, 3-4 pounds
2 tb sugar
1 ts cinnnamon
Filling:
3 eggs
2 c milk
1 c sugar
pinch of salt
3 tb tapioca, quick cooking
2 ts vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F
1.Cut the top of the pumpkin as you would for a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out the seeds.
2.Mix the 2 tb sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl, drop into the pumpkin and coat the inside thoroughly.
3.Place the pumpkin on a pie plate and bake, with the lid on, for 35-40 minutes.
4.In a sauce pot, whip the eggs. Add the cup of sugar, the milk, the salt, and the tapioca. Blend with a whip, set aside and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
5.Over medium high, cook the tapioca mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens.
6.Remove the pumpkin from the oven, remove the top and pour in the tapioca. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top, place the whole thing back in the oven, uncovered, and bake another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to stand for 10 minutes.
7.Serve the tapioca filled pumpkin on a tray. To serve, scrape some of the pumpkin flesh from the inside of the pumpkin along with the tapioca.
