How do you get the pumpkin meat out of a pumpkin?

A friend gave me a small pumpkin that was marked as a cooking pumpkin.

Should I try to cut it up raw before cooking or cook it first? I want to use it for this recipe I found:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Lentil-and-Goat-Cheese-Salad-355212

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad


3/4 cup French green lentils*
6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika**
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.
Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.
Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.

(my husband) can do it!

:rofl:

That's about the easiest way to deal with one of those, although you can whack the tops off and scoop the meat out if you want to serve pumpkin soup in the pumpkin. I've never been that Martha Stewart, so I don't know how well it works.

The big decorative jobs can have the meat used, too, but they're a challenge to scoop out so you can still make a Jack o Lantern.

a ratio of 1 gram of gun powder to 1 pound of pumpkin should do the trick.

Or, if you don't have gun powder you can slice a hole in the top(large enough for your hand and a spoon to fit through) and scrape the flesh out with a spoon. I usually do this on the floor on top of newspaper. I scoop and turn, scoop and turn until I get to the rind.

not worth it!

Worried about cutting off a limb while cutting it into big pieces.

Really did not enjoy pulling our all that slimy, stringy, seedy mess.

Meat was stringy and mushy - not a good combo.

I think I will stick with butternut squash!

:rofl:

The ones usually sold for cooking are varieties with flesh similar to other winter squashes.
The slimy mess, well. That's a pumpkin. :rofl: