This recipe was submitted by Pietro Siciliano of Tombolino Italian Restaurant, located in Yonkers, NY. The recipe is as unique as its taste and its sure to make a big hit for Thanksgiving or any other time you may be in the mood to enjoy a fine seasonal dessert. I thank Pietro, because most of the times its difficult for a Chef to disclose a secret.
Tombolino’s Pumpkin Pie
1 & 1/2 Cup of Pumpkin
1 & 1/2 Cup of milk
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup of sugar
1 Teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon of salt
2 Teaspoon of melted butter
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The Crust
1 & 1/2 Cup of flour
6 Tablespoons of cold butter
3 Tablespoons of Crisco
3–4 Tablespoons of ice water
1/2 Tablespoons salt
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Step 1: Beat together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and butter.
Step 2: Pour into the shell of the crust
Step 3: Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until golden in color
I went a step further and found an instructional pie crust video on You Tube by Howdini and a Pumpkin Pie recipe demonstration by Martha Stewart and her niece Sophie from a Family Recipe.
The University of Illinois, has a wealth of information on Pumpkins. For example, did you know that References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.” “Pepon” was nasalized by the French into “pompon.” The English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion.” Shakespeare referred to the “pumpion” in his Merry Wives of Windsor. American colonists changed “pumpion” into “pumpkin.” The “pumpkin” is referred to in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater and Cinderella.
Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes.
You can read more at the University of Illinois Extension, where they cover all about “Pumpkins and More” like, Pumpkin History, Varieties, Nutrition, Recipes, Education, Pumpkin Farms, Halloween Links, Pumpkin Facts, Growing Pumpkins, Selection & Use, Pumpkin Fun and Festivals.