By Mary Ellen
Frost is glistening on the pumpkins here in Bavaria. They reflect the morning sun light reminding me that the treasures of autumn are here. I have had the privilege and pleasure to sample Kurbiscremesuppe (cream of squash soup) from Munich to Salzburg to Vienna. In between poking around Crazy Louis’ famous castles and listening to Mozart concerts, we warmed up on pumpkin soup. With a piece of yeasty brown bread and mixed salad, it makes a perfect lunch. This soup is also a beautiful beginning of a fine evening meal. No restaurant or person makes it exactly the same, even though the basic ingredients are similar: squash, stock and spices. That’s what makes it fun to eat and easy to make at home. You can pick pumpkin, acorn, butternut (winter varieties of squash) or summer varieties which are thin skinned like zucchini. You can also select your spices.
Roasting a Pumpkin
There is more than one way to roast a pumpkin or other squash. Pick a smaller pie pumpkin for eating. The huge ones are for making jack-o-lanterns. Some people find that even the small pie pumpkins are watery and lacking in taste. Try other squashes. One getting rave reviews is the kobacha squash. Always give it a bath to remove any residual dirt.
Water Method:
Slice pumpkin in half; scrape out the seeds and place cut sides down into a baking pan with a quarter inch water. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until soft. Cool and scrape out the flesh. Store in the refrigerator.
Dry Roast:
Slice pumpkin in half; scrape out the seeds and place cut sides down on a baking stone. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes (more or less depending on the actual size.) You want it to be soft.
I have a Pampered Chef baking stone that works especially well for roasting all vegetables. The roasting process brings a pleasing sweetness to vegetables.
You can even roast your squash whole. Wash and place on the oven rack. Put at pan below to catch any drips. Roast at 400 degrees and begin testing for doneness around 35 minutes. When it’s really soft, it’s done. This method saves cutting the hard, sometimes unwieldy squash into pieces.
There continues to be conversations about the difference between homemade puree and the stuff you get in a can. Most of the comments I have read sounded like it was hard to tell the difference. This is good news if you want to make a quick batch of pumpkin bread. Usually the canned pumpkin has one ingredient: pumpkin. This is good. On the other hand, we have so many lovely locally grown squash that it’s a shame not to eat them. It is not hard to make your own puree. You have the additional benefits of supporting local farmers and spending fewer resources than on a can of processed pumpkin. Plus, I keep recycle worms (red wigglers) and they would be denied those tasty skins.
Whatever your method, you will end up with a bowl of yellow-orange mush. This is just what you want for soup and many other recipes.
Pumpkin Soup
1 onion, chopped
2-4 cups pumpkin chunks (can be raw pieces or already roasted flesh)
2-4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Milk, cream, sour cream
Pumpkin seeds
Balsamic vinegar
Sauté onions in a little butter and/or oil. When onions become clear, add pumpkin chunks and stock. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and simmer until pumpkin becomes soft. If the pumpkin was already roasted, this won’t take long. Bring the broth to a boil. Remove from heat and puree. At this point you can decide if your like your soup thicker or thinner. I like mine thicker. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle soup into a bowl. Swirl in sour cream, milk or cream. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar around the top, too. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Other additions:
Spices that you might like to add (not necessarily all of them in the same pot!) include nutmeg, curry, cinnamon, pumpkin spice mixture, or ginger. Another ingredient could be brandy, cognac or calvados.
What about the seeds?
Now that you have taken the time to roast your own pumpkin, you have a pile of messy seeds. Rinse them under cool water in a colander and take out as many strings as possible. At this point you can boil them in salted water for 20 minutes. This will release any remaining threads and get some salt absorbed into the seeds. You do not have to do this step.
Now spread them out on a dish towel or cookie sheet and let them dry out for a good 24 hours. I thought this suggestion was unnecessary and I would always roast them the same day that I scooped them out of the pumpkin. They never came out as well as I had hoped. Then once I waited 2 days before I roasted them. They were actually dry when I put them in the oven. They do turn out better this way.
Lightly coat the baking dish with oil. Spread out the seeds as best you can in a single layer. Top with coarsely ground salt. Cook at 300 degrees for 30 or so minutes.
Some people like to season with other spices such as garlic or pepper.
Other pumpkin puree ideas:
Pumpkin Spread: Mix pumpkin puree with cream cheese. Add a little cinnamon and brown sugar. What a delightful topping for toast, bagels or pancakes.
Pumpkin Stew: Fill your crock pot with chunks of the meat of your choice, carrots, onions and potatoes. You can add chunks of pumpkin. Add other root vegetables and celery. Add a can of tomatoes, cover and cook for the day. Add pumpkin puree a while before serving will thicken the juices and add flavor.
You can add puree to bread, muffins, pancakes and smoothies.
Fun Squash Facts:
Including squash in your diet will give you magnesium, potassium, Vitamins A and C, (E if you eat the seeds) calcium and a dose of beta carotene and antioxidants. A final note: technically squash are fruit, as their seeds are inside.
Happy Pumpkin Season! Eat Well – Be Well.
