Hot Pumpkin Soup

from: Holiday Menus by Sue Gregg (click here to learn more)
This is a fun festive soup. You don't have to serve it in a pumpkin but it does add to the festive look.

1. Saute onions in butter until transparent; add spices.
3 T butter melted
1 medium onion chopped with a dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

2. Combine in blender or food processor, blending until smooth:
3 cups canned pumpkin
sauteed onion mixture

3. Pour into large saucepan, stir in broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and add cream and seasonings:
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups whipping cream
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

4. Simmer about 15 minutes. Do not allow to boil.

5. Serve from baked pumpkin shell, if desired, into bowls or mugs. Garnish as desired with:
croutons
dollop of sour cream
small scoop of baked pumpkin from inside the shell

Baked Pumpkin Shell!
Bake 350 for 1 hour

1. Wash a pumpkin no smaller than 10" in diameter
2. Cut off top for a lid.
3. Scoop out and discard the seeds, string and pulp, leaving a wall of at least 1". Replace lid.
4. Wrap in foil to prevent burning.
5. Place in shall pan with 1/2" water. (click here for a perfect stainless steel pan)
6. Bake 350 degrees until barely tender and still firm about 1 hour.
7. Wrap entire pumpkin in several layers of foil until ready to use.

Refrigerate if kept overnight.



I put the pumpkin in the stainless steel lazanga pan. It was big enough to hold the pumpkin and water without making a mess! Covering your pumpkin with foil is really important. I purposely left the top uncovered to show the results of not cover the pumpkin in the oven. It had a burn spot on the skin. It didn't hurt the pumpkin but astically it wasn't as pretty.