Pumpkin soup, veggies, cookies and bread

11/6/13 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Pumpkins-pumpkins-pumpkins!

We’ve all read the stories about how the Pilgrims learned to grow pumpkins from Native Americans. But they were not the traditional Jack-O-Lantern we think of today. They were more like crook neck squash that stored well in winter when not much else was available. Kaiser crops are so unreliable we probably would have starved.

This year we didn’t follow instructions when planting our pumpkins. Actually, our best pumpkins grew in the compost pile! Our first year of pumpkin growing we harvested a bumper crop. We waited until the temperature reached the 70s before planting; we made mounds of rich soil and then placed a small fish under the seeds at planting time. The result was dozens of colorful fruit to share.

There’s also an ancient planting method dubbed “The Three Sisters.” The so-called sisters are squash (or pumpkin), corn and beans. Grown together the corn serves as a natural trellis for beans; nitrogen in the bean roots nourishes the corn and the bean vines stabilize the corn stalks on windy days. Plus, the large leaves of the pumpkins shelter and cool the shallow roots of the corn, while discouraging weeds. Talk about team work! We need to try it—next year.

Right now it’s too late for planting but I do have some recipes for you to use with fresh and canned pumpkin. First, a quick and easy Fall Vegetable Medley followed by a simple Creamy Pumpkin Soup.  Finally, some soft Pumpkin Spice cookies topped with a brown sugar glaze and interesting double layer pumpkin bread. Enjoy!

FALL VEGETABLE MEDLEY

1 cup pumpkin, cubed

3 yams cut in 1-inch slices

3 medium carrots cut in 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Steam vegetables in orange juice mixed with honey. Arrange vegetables in buttered casserole dish. Combine bread crumbs with brown sugar, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle mixture over vegetables. Cover and bake 25 min. Uncover and bake 10 min. longer. Serves 6.

CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP

4 cups pumpkin puree

6 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream

5 whole black peppercorns

Fresh parsley

Heat stock, pumpkin, salt, onion, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered. Remove peppercorns. Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or blender. Return to pan, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir in heavy cream. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 6-8

 PUMPKIN COOKIES

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe Brown Sugar Glaze (see below)

Preheat oven to 375° F.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the white sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined; scrape sides of bowl. Beat in the egg and pumpkin. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour.

Drop dough by a rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops seem firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Spread cooled cookies with Brown Sugar Glaze. Makes 42 cookies.

Brown Sugar Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan combine sugar, butter and milk. Heat and stir until butter melts. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

DOUBLE DECKER PUMPKIN BREAD

1/2 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 8 ounce carton dairy sour cream

1 egg

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1 cup cooking oil

1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms and 1/2 inch up the sides of two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and the 1/4 cup sugar. Beat with mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sour cream and egg; beat until combined. Stir in the ginger; set aside.

In another medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, the ground ginger, the nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the 2 cups sugar, the 4 eggs, the pumpkin, oil, and water. Beat on low speed until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined.

Spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pumpkin batter into each of the prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese mixture between pans, spreading evenly. Spoon the remaining pumpkin batter onto cream cheese mixture, spreading evenly.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

Wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight before slicing.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Contact her at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com