A Taste of Autumn

Autumn, one of my favorites of the four temperate seasons, marks the transition from summer to winter; it is then that the bright green leaves of the beautiful maple trees change into the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges that distinguish this season. With the changes in color (actually, the absence of chlorophyll), we begin to think, and rightfully so, of the many marvelous foods that begin to become available in October and November. Because those foods are so plentiful, this will not be the only post devoted to autumnal delights.

One of those delicious Fall victuals was served as a part of our Thanksgiving Feast for many, many years, and it was made from the gourd that had been used as a decoration just a few weeks earlier; namely, the pumpkin. No, it wasn't pumpkin pie! (Although, I do enjoy a well-made pumpkin pie with whipped cream).

Once a year, on Thanksgiving Day, we had Pumpkin Soup; it was a dish that we looked forward to from Halloween on. What we had for our big meal was not at all like the pumpkin soup that is served in several of the restaurants on Antigua, but that is quite good also. However, we will devote this space to the soup served in many parts of the USA.

On several occasions, we (my mother) made our own pulp from scratch, but that takes far more work than I am willing to suggest here, so we now use a high quality canned variety. The recipe has been kept simple, because the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day is far too busy to be burdened by something complicated. Here it is!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbs butter, 2 15oz cans puree pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), 32oz low sodium chicken broth, 1 pint half & half, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 2 tsp fresh grated ginger, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

PREPARATION:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir in pumpkin, chicken broth, half & half, maple syrup, ginger, nutmeg and brown sugar.
3. Bring soup to a light boil.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

Bon appetit!

David

(Photo by Paul Davidson at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldavidson/67040136/; license details there.)

Comments

[dW]

wow, that's a great recipe!

[Fran]

I like the simplicity of this one. Enjoy all the bits of side info ya'll give. I, too, have used pumpkin from scratch---FORGET IT! Not worth the hassel for the ease and time saving of opening a can.