Spicy Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

We have a weekend soup habit. A late Saturday pick-me-up. A Sunday lunch. Leftovers stashed to cart to work during the week, or frozen for doling out to starving artists and graduate students. It’s a nice habit since it gives us the opportunity to improvise with whatever’s on hand and have something ready to eat when we are. During CSA season, we take the opportunity to cook down whatever doesn’t fit in our fussy fridge.  Now in early winter we are working our way through the storage vegetables, the squashes and cabbages and sweet potatoes from the fall harvest.   

Every growing season produces a surprise. You can’t be sure that the cabbages will keep, or the pumpkins and squash. There have been years when I am finally cooking up the last cheese pumpkin, a squat beige beauty that’s been adorning our counter all winter – in March!  Not so this year.  Some of our cooking pumpkins barely made it to Halloween, which was cancelled anyway because of the hurricane. Some limped along to Thanksgiving and others simply imploded. So I oven-roasted what was left and turned it into soup.

The pumpkin flesh was flaccid and mild, insipid even, not inspiring. Although it was a cooking pumpkin, its flesh resembled that of a jack-o-lantern. I therefore gave the soup some body and flavor by using equal parts of sweet potato and pumpkin. Since my liquid would be water instead of a flavorful broth or stock, I added plentiful spices: curry powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper and salt, and smoothed it all out with a tablespoon or so of heavy cream.  Topped with pumpkin seeds and sautéed apples, this produced a delicious repast for a busy weekend preparing for the holidays.

Spicy Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter or olive oil

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

2 c roasted pumpkin flesh

2 c peeled and chopped sweet potato

2 c or more vegetable broth or water

2 tbsp heavy cream (or more to taste)

Additional salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Garnish: roasted hulled pumpkin seeds, sautéed or raw apple cubes

Slowly cook the onion in butter or oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, until well combined and aromatic.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cream and garnish, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium or medium low and simmer, partially covered for 30-40 minutes or until the sweet potato is thoroughly cooked.

Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor and adjust the seasonings.

Garnish with pumpkin seeds and apple, wither raw or sautéed in a little butter.

Serves 4-6.

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Dark Days 12, Valentine’s Day Dessert Challenge: Pumpkin Flan

A continuing series on weekly meals that use sustainable, organic, local and ethical food during the challenging winter months. For more information, go here to the DDC section of Not Dabbling in Normal’s website: Dark Days Challenge.

In which I caramelize local maple sugar and bake a yummy pumpkin flan for dessert

Looking forward to Valentine’s Day, this week’s Dark Days Challenge is to make a special dessert from local ingredients according to the rules that we each set up in the beginning of the season. At first I thought this would be really hard, but it turned out not to be once I realized that I would use dairy ingredients and either local maple sugar/syrup or honey as a sweetener. I decided to make a pumpkin flan (with permitted spices) rather than a plain one since I needed to clean out my freezer and use up the pumpkin puree from the holidays.  I still have more fresh pumpkin and squash so I’ll be happy to have the freezer space.  Especially since I have another Valentine’s Day dessert coming up!

Pumpkin Maple Flan adapted from the Boston Globe online

For the caramel:

¼ c maple sugar

1 tbsp water

For the flan:

¾ c milk (I used non-fat)

¾ c heavy cream

½ c pumpkin puree

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of salt

3 jumbo eggs

½ c maple sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 4-6 ramekins, each holding ¾- to one cup, in a shallow roasting pan with 2-inch sides. Heat some water in a teakettle (which will be for the pan when you’re baking the flan). Place a small bowl of cool water and a pastry brush near the stove. Get all of the ingredients measured and ready, and set out the equipment.

First make the caramel. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it boils, stop stirring, but lightly brush the sides of the pan with water to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Swirl the pan a couple of times and cook until the caramel turns dark brown. This will take about 3 minutes for maple sugar, about 5 or so for white sugar. Immediately spoon the caramel into the ramekins. It will harden and may not completely cover the bottom before it does.

Make the pumpkin custard. In a saucepan, whisk the milk, cream, pumpkin, spices and salt and heat it just until it starts to bubble around the edges. Pour it through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, pushing down on the solids to push them through and create a smooth liquid (this is important if you have roasted your pumpkin and are not using canned pumpkin).

Whisk the eggs, add the sugar and continue to whisk until smooth. Add a little of the warm pumpkin mixture, being careful not to cook the eggs, and then mix everything together, beating well.  Spoon into the ramekins.

Place the roasting pan containing the ramekins in the middle of the oven and carefully pour hot water into the pan, to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the custard is set but the centers are still wobbly. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before carefully removing the ramekins to a rack to cool. After they are cool, refrigerate them for at least 2 hours, or even overnight, before unmolding them to serve.

Makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of the ramekins.

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Pumpkin, Tomato and Chickpea Soup with Ras el Hanout

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say.  This afternoon, I needed to clean out our freezer and my husband needed some flavorful soup. Cleaning out the freezer really isn’t a big deal since it occupies a tiny section of our tall, slim refrigerator. It’s a haven for stock and broth of all kinds, soup bases, cooked dried beans, pureed pumpkin, roasted tomatoes and the like. Little that’s ready-made but a lot that’s most of the way to a finished dish. Between the bounty of the fall and a lot of cooking over the holidays, I haven’t been able to fit the tub for my ice cream maker in the freezer for months. But now it’s time to make our weekly sorbet, so out came a few containers of ingredients for soup. 

At Christmas, I received a jar of “ras el hanout” that had been purchased at the exciting new Savory Spice Shop that opened in town. Much better than Penzey’s and more on a par with the Tea and Spice Exchange that I visited in Winter Park, Florida a few years ago. While the shop has herbs and spices and blends that are pre-packaged, the norm is to take the storage jar to the counter where they’ll dish it out for you in just about any amount you want.  That’s great for me, since I like my spices fresh and I can buy tiny amounts in bulk.

Ras el hanout is the Moroccan version of Indian curry, in that it is a mixture of spices including in my jar: nutmeg, sea salt, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, mace, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric and saffron.  I used it to lend an intriguing and lingering spiciness to a soup made mostly of pumpkin and vegetable broth, with a little tomato puree and chickpeas added.  Stir in some fresh cilantro if you have some, or sprinkle on toasted pumpkin seeds, and you’re all set for a satisfying meal.  I bet that this will improve with age as it made enough to last us most of the week.

Pumpkin, Tomato and Chickpea Soup with Ras el Hanout

1 medium onion, cut in medium dice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)

3 c pumpkin puree (homemade or from a large can)

½-1 c tomato puree

4 c vegetable stock

Salt

1 tbsp turbinado or brown sugar

1 c cooked chickpeas with their liquid

Garnish: cilantro, pumpkin seeds

Saute the onion slowly in oil in a large saucepan until translucent. Add the spice mixture and stir to combine. Add the pumpkin and tomato purees and enough vegetable stock to thin out the puree. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste and then the chickpea liquid. Add more vegetable broth or water if the mixture is too thick. Cook for another 10 minutes. Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the reserved chickpeas and reheat gently. Garnish with cilantro or pumpkin seeds.  Makes 6-8 servings.

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November: a Birthday, Pumpkins and a Spiced Pumpkin Soup

This blog has just turned two years old. It started as a birthday gift to me from e, with a first post to remind that there was a jar of spices in my pantry that she’d brought back from Morocco over the summer.  My own first post, with the photography nowhere near under control and trepidations about being able to maneuver the site, was a batch of pumpkin bread for a crowd. Consumed at a team tailgate picnic under crisp blue skies and bright fall foliage, that pumpkin bread remains a favorite memory. At that time, I promised another version and have yet to deliver. But in the meanwhile, if I post as many entries as are typical for me, I will have reached 365 by the end of November! That’s one nearly every other day. Good heavens. And I think I’m being selective about what I choose to show and say.  However, in the past two years, I’ve ramped up talking about preserving local organically raised food (which I’ve done for years but not vocally) and have written about lots of experiments, more of which are forthcoming this month.

November’s the month when we glean the fields and garden for whatever we might rescue before the winter sets in. There are some vegetables – potatoes, sweet potatoes and winter squash (except for this year) – from our CSA that I safely store in our cold-ish basement through most of the winter. Others such as carrots, cabbage and a variety of roots are stored in the refrigerator. There’s one remarkable long-lasting exception: the great big orange or beige cheese pumpkin. These beauties ornament our dining room sideboard or front hall console table for months. I’ve been known to have perfect specimens as late as March. 

This year, when I wasn’t looking, one of my prize organically grown cheese pumpkins was drilled and lit for Halloween. Drilled because there’s no way a knife could easily penetrate its nearly three-inch thick walls. Yikes. As soon as the trick-or-treaters were out of sight, I ran outside rescued my pumpkin from the freezing cold temperatures. The next day, I roasted it in chunks, drizzled with olive oil and salt and placed in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees, turning once. After skinning the roasted chunks, I drained the pumpkin flesh, saving the extra liquid and storing it in two batches: one fully drained (which will be good for baked goods) and the other with the liquid added back (which will work for soups and risotto). Despite its early demise, this pumpkin creates a good opportunity to try out some Thanksgiving recipes. 

So, here’s a pumpkin soup with Moroccan spices for e. Wish you were here to enjoy it, but don’t worry, there’s a container of it in the freezer for the next time I see you.  (I added a little rice to the pot to make a creamy soup without the need to add milk or cream.)

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

3 c roasted pumpkin flesh

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 tbsp raw basmati or white rice

Spices of your choice:  (cardamom, star anise, cinnamon allspice for a Moroccan taste; curry spices for an Indian version; cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chili peppers for a Middle Eastern take; cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for an American Thanksgiving flavor; and so on)

Water, vegetable broth or chicken stock

Salt

Optional: a tsp or so of turbinado sugar (in case pumpkin is bitter)

Optional: a few tbsp coconut milk or heavy cream

Garnish: fresh herbs like cilantro or raw or toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Remove the skin from roasted pumpkin chunks and reserve the liquid for the soup. Slowly cook the onion in oil until translucent. Add the carrots and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the spices. If using ground spices, simply mix them. If using whole spices, either toast and grind them into a powder (as with cumin and coriander) or lightly crush them and place them in a little muslin bag (as with Moroccan spices, but remember to remove the cardamom seeds from the pods). Add ground spices to the onion mixture and stir to combine before adding the pumpkin. If using whole spices in a bag, add them when the liquid goes into the pot.

Add the pumpkin and liquid (water, vegetable broth or chicken stock) just to cover, and a little salt. (You will probably need to add more liquid later.)

Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 50 minutes, adding more liquid as needed. Remove the spice bag, if using. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender or a food processor. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt or sugar as needed. If you’d like, add a little coconut milk or cow’s milk or cream to smooth the soup.

Garnish as you please.

Serves 4.

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Roasted Winter Squash Muffins

The abundance of long-lasting winter squash this year has led me to cook it in as many ways as possible, including using it as a substitute for pumpkin. While many recipes for baked goods using pumpkin suggest that the canned version is more reliable in flavor and moisture content, the roasted buttercup squash that we’ve had is so rich and flavorful that I wouldn’t hesitate using it for any pumpkin recipe.

This recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan’s famous Baking from My Home to Yours, who in turn was inspired by Sarabeth Levine. The trick to this or most other quick breads and cake is to cream the butter thoroughly until light and continue to cream it after the sugar is added. Since pumpkin and squash can create a dense crumb, that step is particularly important here.  Also, while the batter seems too great for a standard muffin tin (since most recipes call for filling the tins only ¾ full), it’s just perfect for well-rounded muffins. I used pepitas (squash or pumpkin seeds) instead of Dorie’s suggested sunflower seeds.  It may seem like gilding the lily, but these were delicious with orange marmalade.

Roasted Winter Squash Muffins adapted from Dorie Greenspan

2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground allspice or cloves

1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ c white sugar

¼ c firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

¼ c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ c packed puree of roasted winter squash (buttercup)

½ c raisins

½ c chopped walnuts

2-3 tbsp unsalted pepitas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a regular 12-compartment muffin tin (or use paper cup liners) and place it on a baking sheet.

Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Cream the butter with a mixer for several minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the buttermilk and vanilla. With a large spoon or spatula, mix in the flour mixture, combining thoroughly but lightly.

Spoon into the prepared muffin tin and bake in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes and remove to a rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.

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Pumpkin Risotto with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

Right up there with the definition of eternity as “two people and a ham” (or turkey as I remarked last year) is “two people and a pumpkin.” After the pies and breads and soups and stews from a large roasted and pureed cheese pumpkin that I made at Thanksgiving, there was still a cup or so left. Perfect for a batch of risotto on a cold night at the winter solstice earlier this week. This could be made dairy free by omitting the cheese or vegetarian by substituting a vegetable stock for the chicken broth.  I would make it the same way with another winter squash like hubbard or butternut.

My typical proportions for risotto are ¼ c of rice per person for a main dish, a little less for a side, cooked with 1- 1 ¼ stock. I end up using a little less stock when I’m adding something that contributes to the liquid content, like the pumpkin. So for this I used ¾ c Arborio rice, 3 c chicken (or turkey) broth and 3/4 c pureed pumpkin.

Needing something to spark up the dish, I sautéed the leaves of a few heads of Brussels sprouts  in a little olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and served them on top of the risotto. A little salad of bitter greens like radicchio rounds off the meal. This was an entirely local and organic meal with the exception of the rice. I used a hard local cheese instead of the usual Parmesan. I could imagine adding herbs and spices such as ground cumin, ground allspice and cinnamon to this risotto to add a different dimension but it was truly delicious made simply.

Leftovers can be formed into patties and sautéed until brown.

Pumpkin Risotto (for 3 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish)

1 clove garlic, chopped

Butter (or olive oil)

¾ -1 c pumpkin puree

Salt and pepper

1 small onion, chopped

¾ c Arborio rice

3-4 c chicken or turkey stock, warmed

¼ c grated Parmesan cheese or other flavorful hard cheese

Lightly sauté the garlic in a little butter until soft, and add the pumpkin puree, stirring and cooking it until the puree is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.

Lightly sauté the onion in a little butter until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains. Start adding the stock, about ¼ c at a time, regulating the heat to keep the liquid at a simmer. Keep stirring and adding additional ¼ c of stock. The entire risotto should take about 20 minutes to cook. About half way through, start adding the pureed pumpkin with the stock. When the risotto is just finished, adjust the seasonings and add the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Optional garnishes: parsley or other herbs, sautéed leaves of Brussels sprouts or other greens.

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Improved Gluten-free Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie

With a great tip from Mark Bittman of The New York Times, I improved the gluten-free, dairy-free pumpkin pie that I made for Thanksgiving a year ago. Last year, the pat-in crust, made from purchased gluten-free ginger snaps, was really ugly. This year, I added unsweetened coconut to the ginger snaps and it worked much better. I also liked the fact that the coconut in the crust complemented the coconut milk in the filling.

Gluten-free Ginger Snap and Coconut Crust

Ginger snaps, ground in a food processor (1 ½ c)

¼ c unsweetened coconut

6 tbsp vegan spread (Earth Balance), melted

Mix all ingredients and pat into 8-inch pie pan. Chill. Prebake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool before adding filling and finishing pie.

Pumpkin Pie Filling with Coconut Milk

1 c precooked pumpkin (from a can or roasted mashed from a pie pumpkin

1 c coconut milk

¼ c brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves or allspice

Pinch of salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Mix all ingredients together and pour into partially baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until set.

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Tomato and Pumpkin Soup

Continuing to eat out of the pantry before the spring growing season, I roasted the remaining cheese pumpkin from the late fall harvest, which had kept surprisingly well, and combined it with a home-canned tomato soup base that was stretching its viable shelf life. Our local CSA farm grows several heirloom varieties for canning, with names like Federale and Amish Paste. When I can those in the normal way, I find that their high water content creates a flavorful but watery mix. So rather than worrying that it won’t thicken into a sauce, I process it in a water bath into a loose, liquid puree, perfect as a base for soup and stew.

For this soup, I first I seeded the pumpkin and cut it into segments to roast in the oven over high heat. The pumpkin, while flavorful, was watery, so I added an orange sweet potato (or yam) to the soup, along with onion, celery, paprika, and chili powder. Pureed, this had a wonderful flavor, creamy texture, and a beautiful color reminiscent of Romesco sauce. Instead of the pepper, I could have used thyme and rosemary. I served the soup with a dollop of sour cream, chopped lovage (though I could have used parsley, chives or cilantro) and homemade oven-crisped croutons, but it holds its own just plain. Although I felt my way through the process for the first time, this could become one of my favorite soups.  The ingredients are flexible so I’m sure it will come out a new way the next time based on what’s in the pantry.  This soup improved with a day of aging, but was also great fresh off the stove.

Tomato and Pumpkin Soup (6 servings)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1 large orange sweet potato or yam

Vegetable or olive oil

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tsp chili powder (mine had ground chili pepper plus a tad of nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon)

3 cups roasted pumpkin flesh (see below)

4 cups canned tomato soup base (or use a quart of home-canned whole tomatoes or a large purchased can, buzzing the tomatoes and the liquid in a food processor)

Water if necessary

Optional: a touch of smoked paprika or pimenton

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes: optional sour cream, herbs, croutons, hot pepper flakes

Saute the onion and celery in oil over low heat until soft. Add yam or sweet potato and stir to coat, cooking the ingredients without browning for about 5 minutes. Add paprika and chili powder and stir to combine. Add pumpkin and tomatoes and cook at a simmer, covered for 45-50 minutes, until everything is soft and thoroughly cooked.  Add water if the soup is too thick.  Puree in food processor and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with optional garnishes.

Roasted pumpkin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the pumpkin then cut in half and remove the seeds. Cut into chunks, brush with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, then roast skin side up for about 40-50 minutes, or until soft. Cool, then remove the flesh to a bowl.

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Gluten-free Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie, so who said it had to be pretty too

Figuring out how to make a pumpkin pie dairy-free is not hard, given the possibility of using soymilk or unsweetened coconut milk as a substitute for cream or half-and-half. Figuring out a compatible crust is harder. The piecrust that I made last Thanksgiving emulated a whole-wheat crust but was crumbly to the point where I felt it belonged on the beach. It tasted like that too. I was about to repeat the mistake this year when, in the midst of baking the apple pie that was to precede Mr. Pumpkin in the oven, E reminded me that I had had aspirations to make a gluten-free gingersnap crust. So she ran out to the only open grocery store and picked up a bag of gluten-free cookies. We tossed together the new crust and pre-baked it, not losing much oven time on a busy day. It wasn’t the prettiest of pies, but it was good, and a good start for future experiments. Next time, I will think ahead and make my own gingersnaps.

As for the pumpkin, I used a good quality organic canned pumpkin puree. The sugar pumpkin that I had on hand would have been watery despite roasting it to concentrate the flavors. The other alternative would have been to roast a cheese pumpkin or sweet potatoes, both of which have more body. That too will wait until next time. The cheese pumpkin on our counter is just too gorgeous to give up.

Gluten-free Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (1 15 oz can)

½ cup brown sugar or ¾ cup granulated white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

Fresh grated nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (not light)

3 large eggs

1 pre-baked gingersnap piecrust (see below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Stir the sugar, spices and salt into the pumpkin puree.  Stir the coconut milk thoroughly to eliminate any lumps and combine with the pumpkin. Slightly beat the eggs and add to the puree, until just combined. Pour into the pre-baked and cooled piecrust and bake for approximately 50 minutes.  The edges should be set and the center somewhat jiggly. It will set up as it cools.

Gingersnap Pie Crust

8 oz gingersnaps, or about 30 small cookies, 2 cups when pulverized

2 tbsp white sugar

1/3 cup dairy-free shortening (I used Earth Balance)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulverize the gingersnaps in a food processor, to yield 2 cups. Add sugar and shortening and process until the mixture holds together and is clumpy. Pat the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan and bake for 8-10 minutes until set but not overly brown. Set aside to cool before filling and baking.

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Cheese Pumpkin

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