Choconancy- 07:37 pm PDT - Oct 4, 1999 -#810
member of the left coast bra rebellion

The Pumpkin Soup the Children Love

Get a nice pumpkin that will fit in your oven. Open it "jack-o'lantern" style (but don't cut no stinkin' face, just take off the top and clean out the seeds/muck.) Crumble in some stale bread (rye works nicely) loosely - 1/2 to 2/3 full. Grate in some nice gooey cheese. Something with a Swiss taste is nice. Add a couple of teaspoons full of either dry or wet mustard. 1-2 chopped onions, 5-6 chopped garlic cloves. Fill to nearly full with chicken or veggie stock.

Replace lid.

Struggle valiantly to set on a pan in a 350 degree F oven. Cook till pumpkin shell is tender, but not so long that it collapses and fills your oven with goop.

Bring to table to oohs and ahhs... struggle to serve but enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Anna Z- 09:54 pm PDT - Oct 4, 1999 -#813
"harken joltheads! or dickins take ye!" 1653 Urquart (Rabelais) prol.

Never made this, but it looks good:

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH APPLE SCHNITZ "CROUTONS" '21' CLUB

The following soup can be made with any variety of pumpkin except the traditional jack-o-lantern variety, which is too watery and lacks flavor. Apple Schnitz, time-honored Pennsylvania Dutch preserved apples, make a healthy snack as well as a novel garnish.

4 pounds pumpkin or other winter squash such as butternut or Hubbard, halved and strings and seeds discarded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 leek (white and pale green part only), halved lengthwise, washed well, and chopped
12 cups chicken broth or water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream

Garnish: apple Schnitz "croutons":

1 tart apple such as Granny Smith
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow baking pan arrange squash, cut sides up, and bake 45 minutes, or until soft. Spoon out pulp (there should be 6 to 8 cups) and purÚe in a food processor.

In a large heavy kettle heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook remaining vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 10 to 12 minutes. Add broth or water, squash purÚe, cinnamon, and nutmeg and simmer, covered 40 minutes. Stir in syrup and cream and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.

Cool soup slightly and in a food processor or blender purÚe in small batches until smooth, transferring to a large bowl. Return soup to kettle and reheat if necessary. Serve soup garnished with croutons.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Peel and core apple and halve lengthwise. In a food processor fitted with 2-millimeter slicing disk or with a mandoline or other hand-held slicing device cut apple into paper-thin slices. On a large non-stick baking sheet or a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper spread slices in one layer and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Bake slices in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden, and transfer immediately to racks to cool. Makes about 12 "croutons."

Makes about 16 cups.

Gourmet November 199

Victoria L.- 11:14 pm PDT - Oct 4, 1999 -#814

OK. This is my mum's recipe.

1 kg pumpkin flesh (sorry, I only do metric. Hope someone can convert)
4 and a half cups chicken stock
1 medium onion, chopped
6 spring onions, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
300 ml cream: juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon good curry powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt & freshly ground black pepper:
chopped chives to garnish

Simmer until tender the pumpkin, chicken stock, onion, spring onion and tomatoes. Blend in food processor & return purée to saucepan. Add the cream, lemon juice, curry powder and brown sugar: season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat to blend but do not boil.

She usually serves rye bread with it. It's an easy recipe and pretty yummy.