Harry Potter's Pumpkin Juice
Lynley Jones
Next time you carve a pumpkin, don't throw away those stringy "guts" - use them to make this refreshing drink. From what I hear, this is exactly the way they make it at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
About 8-12 servings (depending on the size of your glasses)
Ingredients
Harry Potter's Pumpkin Juice ready for action in the Adventure Kitchen.
3- 4 inches of fresh ginger, cut into about 12 chunks (no need to remove skin)
1 half-gallon apple cider
6 cups pumpkin "guts" (the stringy parts you scoop out of the pumpkin when carving your jack-o-lantern), seeds removed
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (or half this much if using table salt)
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat with the lid on.
Pumpkin "guts" freshly scooped from our Jack-o-lantern in the Adventure Kitchen.
2. Turn the heat to low and set the lid askew. Simmer gently for at least 30 minutes to an hour, but longer is better to extract maximum flavor, up to several hours.
3. Strain out the solids and chill until ready to serve.
Notes:
This is delicious hot or cold, but it seems a bit more authentic to the books to serve it cold, so that's what we generally opt for.
And in case you don't already have them (is that possible?), here's a link to the books on Amazon:
Cassia is the familiar type of cinnamon we grew up with the in United States. Warm, sultry and comforting. Steep it in a hot drink, use it in oatmeal or dessert, or make something savory with it.