Friday, October 7, 2011

Everything Pumpkin . . .

It's that time of year when the scent of any kind of spice almost instantly has one thinking about pumpkin. Pumpkin pie tops the list of favorites and is super simple to make. In fact, I don't even have to post the recipe because when you buy a can of pumpkin, it always has the recipe listed on the label. There are a lot of variations on the standard pumpkin pie but this one is a keeper. I do get a tiny bit creative with the recipe, however, and have been known to add a smidge of ground cloves, and a couple of tablespoons of brandy to my diviation from the stated recipe.

I did discover that pumpkin can show up in soup. Here is a recipe I'm planning to try in the near future.

Pumpkin Soup

2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and chopped
3/4 cup green onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups half and half milk

Saute the onion, garlic, and green onion in the butter. STir in the broth, pumpkin, parsley, bay leave, salt, curry poweder, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for approximately 15 minutes, stirring as needed. Remove the bay leaf. Put small portions of the soup in a blender, cover, and blend until smooth. Repeat until all the soup has been done. Returnto the pot, stir in the half and half, and heat thoroughly but do not boil!

Makes about 6 servings.

Ideas . . .

Some spicy croutons would go well with this.

Chopped cilantro sprinkled before serving would be interesting.

Fresh, homemade bread from the oven would never go amiss.

Some tortilla chips on the side would add some crunch.

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