Pumpkin Soup, a Halloween Dinner

Baked Pumpkin Soup

 This is not a quick dinner to make just before trick or treating, you may want to start the day before, or just make this meal to celebrate the coming of fall.  I planted some sugar pie pumpkins in  my garden this year.  They are quite small , approx. 6 – 8 inches, and make the perfect soup bowl! This would work in one large pumpkin just as well.  The soup  is cooked on top of the stove and then added to the pumpkin for the last 20 minutes or so,  just long enough to warm through and finish baking the pumpkin.  When eating be sure to scrape some of the cooked pumpkin to taste along with the soup.

I was able to make this recipe with the vegtables from my garden, talk about a sense of satisfaction.  I served it with homemade bread, and grape juice made from my concord grapes.  I am not able to do that every day!!!  My family loved this , try it, I think your family will like it too!

                                                                                                     PUMPKIN STEW

1 large pumpkin, or several small pumpkins

Clean out pumpkins (save seeds),  Brush pumpkin hallow with melted butter, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Bake in 375 degree oven about 40 minutes or until soft, when tested with a sharp knife.

STEW

1 precooked chicken breast

Saute 1 lb pearl onions, 5 medium potatoes cubed in 5 tablespoons butter,

 Next  add 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced,  add 1 cup mushrooms.  Season with Thyme to taste.  Cook 4 – 5 minutes.  Or until vegetables are cooked through.

Mix togehter 5 T all purpose flour, 2 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 cup milk, stir into soup.

Add 1 prebaked chicken breast, chopped, 1 1/2 T. rubbed sage, 1 1/2 t. salt, 3/4 t. pepper.  Stir in 1 T dried parsley.

Put soup into pre baked pumpkins, return pumpkins to the oven and bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is completely cooked and soup is warmed through.

OPTIONAL:  After adding soup to pumpkin you can top with your favorite pie crust, even using  fall cookie cutters to design the top of the pumpkin, then bake until the crust is golden brown.  (This would be an impressive presentation)

Salad

If you saved the pumpkin seeds, mix them with a little olive oil, toast on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 375 degrees until they pop or are golden brown.  Grind 1 cup of seeds in a food processor with 6 T. olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice, add a little salt and pepper to your taste.  Set aside

Saute 1 sliced onion in olive oil, combine with a medium sized bowl of salad green, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and sauteed onion rings.  Toss with dressing.

There you have it a wonderful, somewhat time consuming fall, or halloween meal.  My family loved this, it really is so, so good!!!