I noticed that one of my four remaining pie pumpkins had some black on the outside rind, so I went ahead and roasted it and another pumpkin. The inside was fine. That was not how I planned to start my Saturday in the kitchen. I will freeze most of the pumpkin puree.
Around 3:30, I realized that I had not started the stew, and the initial braise of the stew meat is for two hours, so dinner will be later than usual tonight. Sigh.
Follow-up: it was well worth waiting for, as I really nailed the flavor on the liquid. Also, I now thicken my stew with ½ cup quick oats, whirred in the small processor to flour. I put it in a bowl and add enough water to make a slurry, then I stir it into the stew. It is a more nutritious option to white flour or ClearJel.
