LET'S GET COOKING!

Not surprisingly, cooler weather has triggered the urge to cook. Although I’m not planning to do any major baking for the holidays, as I wrote previously there are so many recipes I want to try. Yesterday a trip to the weekly market in Marsciano was fruitful….including fresh pumpkin for soup and for a new dish I read about on MSADVENTURES IN ITALY , a savory tart with pumpkin and pancetta.

I’ve made pumpkin soup before, but last night while watching DELIA SMITH on television, she too made pumpkin soup and had a few good ideas that I’ve incorporated into my recipe. A few years ago I discovered that roasting a pumpkin was the best way to deal with a rather formidable skin. Pumpkins for eating have a much thicker skin, and of course a much thicker fleshy layer inside than pumpkins for carving. It’s really difficult, almost dangerous, to try to slice the flesh from the rind of one of these pumpkins. If you cut the pumpkin into six or eight wedges, brush them with oil and roast them for a while, the flesh is MUCH easier to remove.

I’d always roasted the pumpkin slowly, in an oven set to about 325º, but Delia suggests using the hottest oven you can, resulting in a much shorter roasting time. I’m not really sure if one method is better than the other, so take your choice!

Delia’s recipe didn’t call for potatoes, but my recipe did, and I decided to keep the potatoes in just for the extra body they add. Although the recipe calls for adding cream at the end, you really don’t need to, especially if you want to keep the soup lighter. This is when I think having the potatoes in makes a difference….the soup is a little thicker and heartier, which is what I’m looking for in a winter soup.

Here’s the basic recipe:

PUMPKIN SOUP

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 lbs pumpkin flesh, seeded and cut into wedges
1/2 lb russet potatoes cut into quarters
1 Tbsp salt
Black pepper
4 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Early in the day, or even the day before, slice the pumpkin into manageable-size pieces and the potatoes into quarters. Brush with oil and roast in a hot oven for about 25 minutes, or until the veggies are just starting to brown at the edges and are almost cooked. When cooled, remove the pumpkin flesh from the rind.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the pumpkin, potatoes, salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Puree the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Add the cream and the parsley and stir. Check seasoning and serve immediately. Serves 6

Note: This freezes well, but don’t add the cream if you’re going to freeze it, then add the cream when it’s re-heated. This soup can also be served without any cream at all.

I'm planning to make Sara's pumpkin tart tomorrow or Thursday, so I'll post the recipe along with my review.

I'm glad we did all our shopping yesterday because today is cloudy and gloomy, and we're having a thunderstorm right now, meaning it's dark even earlier than usual. Can you tell I DON'T like winter???