Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope your feasting holiday is filled with family connection, good friends, relaxation, and the celebration of life — another year around the clock! I’m in Albuquerque with my son and daughter-in-law. It’s the three of us for Thanksgiving, by far my favorite American holiday. Before launching into sharing a recipe I prepared for our feast tomorrow, I want to shout out a big THANK YOU to Mexico for giving us the gift of pumpkins.
Pumpkins originated in North America and are thought to be around 9,000 years old. The oldest pumpkin seeds have been found in Mexico and date back to between 7,000–5,550 B.C. In Mexico, we call pumpkins calabacitas, a general term for squash. Mexico has given the world many food gifts, primarily corn, cacao, turkey (yes, turkey), tomatoes, vanilla, jicama, beans, and avocado. (Load up on your guacamole. We will be priced out of eating avocado if the US enters a trade war with Mexico.)
The word “pumpkin” comes from the Greek word pepon, which means “large melon”. The French called them “pompons” and the British called them “pumpions” before Americans changed it to “pumpkins.” Pumpkins were a vital food source for Native Americans, who grew them along with maize and beans. This planting technique, called the “Three Sisters Method,” helped the crops sustain each other.
I’ve been dairy-free for the last five years. I searched for a good recipe to substitute coconut milk instead of evaporated milk. I couldn’t find one. So, I took three different recipes with ingredients that looked appealing and modified them into one great and easy process. I used to own a gourmet cookware shop and cooking school, after all. I told myself, “I can do this!” And I’m passing it along to you.
Pumpkin Flan Recipe
Equipment: 9-1/2″ x 6″ x 3″ high loaf pan, electric hand mixer, shallow baking dish, saucepan, mixing bowls
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
First, make the Caramel Syrup:
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (mine is from Chiapas)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine the maple syrup, sugar, ginger, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes until thick and syrupy. Pour caramel into a loaf pan, tilting it to evenly coat the base and sides. Set aside.
Next, make the Flan Base:
- 1 can (13.5 ounces coconut milk
- 1/3 cup turbinado or natural cane sugar
- 1 can pureed pumpkin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 6 large eggs
- pinch of salt
In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat eggs until well blended. Then pour in the coconut milk, pumpkin, salt, and spices. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are well blended. Pur the flan mixture into loaf pan on top of the caramel syrup. Set loaf pan into a larger baking dish. Fill larger pan with 1 inch of hot tap water.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To unmold, run a knife along the edges of the pan. Cover the pan with a serving plate and turn upside down to unmold. If the pan sticks, dip it in warm water briefly to loosen the caramel before you carefully invert the flan onto the plate.
Slice, garnish with crushed ginger snaps, and serve.
May your holidays be warm in spirit, filled with optimism and joy, and hope for a more enlightened future. All my best, Norma
Happy Thanksgiving From Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
I woke up early with the wind at my back, ready to get a jump on the Day of Giving Thanks. In Mexico we call it Dia de Accion de Gracias. It is a good day to take a walk and think about all the goodness of life.
An early walk in the campo, Thanksgiving morning
It was close to eight o’clock this morning when I set out to the campo, the wild, unpopulated area of the village, beyond the pale of settlement. The sun was warm on my back. There was a breeze. The day was promising.
The first boundary marker, a stelae from another century
My three dogs were with me, Butch close to my heels, always guarding. Mamacita out in front. Tia running off after birds and rabbits, stopping from time to time to turn around and check my progress. These are campo dogs, rescue dogs, dogs who have learned to be obedient and stay close.
Butch (foreground), Mama (right) and Tia along the path
This was a day of exploration. I went far beyond where I usually go along the narrow foot path ascending toward the mountain range that is a backdrop to Teotitlan del Valle, part of the Sierra Madre del Sur. I imagine this to be an ancient trail, the border between our village and the two adjoining us — San Mateo Macuilxochitl and Santiago Ixtaltepec, that the locals call Santiguito.
From the third marker, views toward Tlacochuhuaya
As I made my way along the incline, I was careful not to stumble on loose lava and sedimentary gravel. Rock outcroppings offered natural stepping-stones.
Moonscape-style cactus off the beaten path. Baby Biznaga?
There are three border markers along this route. I had never been to the third. It was glorious out. I figured, Why not? Life begins at the end of your comfort zone, I reminded myself once again. Let’s figure out where this goes.
A bouquet of lantana by the roadside, growing wild here.
As we reached the third, I could see there was no path up to it, so I made my own switch back path to scale the hill. The dogs followed. A ridge of rock offered me a natural seat from which I could see across the valley to San Jeronimo Tlacochuhuaya, beyond Santiguito. A perfect spot to meditate.
I imagined those who came before me, centuries past, who sat in this very place, keeping a lookout on the landscape below. In the distance, cooking fires curled skyward and a red-shirted farmer grazed his bull in the lush fields.
Downhill was easy, with a stop at the natural spring for quenching thirsty dogs. Then, a brisk walk home on the back road lined with dried corn stalks and wild marigold fields lining the road.
I covered three-and-a-half miles.
On the final stretch home, between marigolds and cornstalks
Today, a group of Estadounidenses will gather at Los Danzantes for a special Thanksgiving meal after a mezcal toast at the home of my friend Shannon. An adjoining table is with NC restauranteurs who are opening a Oaxaca destination at the Durham Food Court, two blocks from my apartment.
Thanksgiving menu at Los Danzantes, not traditional!
Today will be a change-up from years past. I won’t be cooking. Neither will Kalisa! (I hope.) Instead of sliced, roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, Jacki’s fabulous cranberry sauce, and an array of pumpkin pies, it will be turkey balls and pumpkin pancake at 7 p.m. Nothing traditional about this year for me!
Nature’s display of color, pure and simple
I’m reminded by my friend Betsy, an Anthony Bourdain afficionado, who said, Travel is the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown. And, my friend, Madelyn, who says, Take life with the wind at your back, moving forward, rather than fighting the headwinds that always set you back.
Happy Day for Giving Thanks.
A field of yellow next to the casita
The gift of the season, 75 degrees Fahrenheit
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Teotitlan del Valle, Travel & Tourism
Tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, Teotitlan del Valle, Thanksgiving