Pumpkins

This time of the year it is probably not the most original topic but how can you ignore pumpkins in October. I am very reluctant to buy pumpkins for cooking because I find it very hard to peel and cut. Yesterday my dear husband talked me into buying a medium size pumpkin. So I found myself with 10 lbs of orange goodness and scrambling for recopies to use-up all 10 lbs.

After my husband and I spent almost an hour cutting and peeling I started wondering if there is an easier way of doing it. Turns out there is, here it is you to try.

Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and all the stringy stuff, lay out both the sides on a tin-foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour depending on the size. Let it cool and scoop out with an ice cream scoop. Left overs can be frozen for later use.

So far I have tried pumpkin soup and pumpkin with lamb cooked Pakistani style and Pumpkin Halwa. Here is the pumpkin soup recipe for you to try and I'll share the pumpkin and lamb  and Halwa recipe soon. Let me know how it turns out, mine was not very orange. I think my pumpkin was too pale in color :)

INGREDIENTS

•      4 Tbsp unsalted butter
•      1 medium onion, chopped
•      1 teaspoons minced garlic
•      1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•      Salt to taste
•      1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice  (garam masala)
•      Pinch ground cumin 
•      6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin
•      5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
•      2 cups of milk
•      1/2 cup brown sugar
•      1 chopped chipottle pepper in adobo sauce (optional)

METHOD

1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.

2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.

4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. If a little too spicy, add more milk to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.

Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds or roasted kernels of corn.

This is what your soup is supposed to look like, off-course mine looked nothing like it but tasted great. Give it a try and share your results, maybe even post some pictures of how it turned out.