Wednesday, December 1, 2010

canning jars and pumpkin-y things

It is good that I do not have to live without canning jars, they prove to be extremely handy around my house. I use them for storing such a variety of things. Sometimes I even freeze leftover stock or soup in my quart jars. (Of course, the trick here is to allow expanding room at the top.)

Today roasted pumpkin seeds fill a half-pint jar. These are from the pumpkin I cooked over the weekend. The same pumpkin that moved from sitting on the steps of my back stoop, to being cut in half, scooped clean of seeds and set on a cookie sheet to bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 and 1/2 hours. Now I have unlimited (it seems) amounts of fresh pumpkin to incorporate into tasty fare.


Such as pumpkin soup and a pumpkin cream pie that unwittingly metamorphosed into a pumpkin mousse dessert due to a teeny mishap. As I was hurrying and scurrying about Saturday on my way to place the prepared pie into the refrigerator...OOPS! The gingersnap crust blended throughout the pumpkin cream and became a delightful consistency to make this dessert extremely yummy!

Have you ever tried Pumpkin soup?

Saute a medium onion and a clove of crushed garlic in 2 Tablespoons of butter. Cook these until the onions are tender and translucent. Add 4 cups of chicken broth (I used boxed). Add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes. Then add 2 cups of  fresh pumpkin (or one can if using canned pumpkin). Simmer at least another 30 minutes. Cool slightly and then process the soup in a food processor in small batches. Pour back into saucepan, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and one cup of heavy cream.  Garnish with tiny snips of fresh chives, a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.

Now, I  do believe I have re-typed pumpkin from "pumkin" enough times already! Goodnight!

4 comments:

Jenny said...

One of my father's favorite snacks was roasted pumpkin seeds.

I've always wanted to try pumpkin soup, sounds. Good.

Oh by the way it's me crochet lady, I'm just under my Tookie blog today.

Leslie said...

Oh, I so agree about having extra canning jars around (and I learned the hard way about leaving room at the top when freezing liquid. Oy.) The chemistry teacher at co-op borrowed 10 of mine and I sorely miss them.

The dB family said...

Yes, I use canning jars regularly too. I also like to put them in the freezer. Headspace is definitely important though :oS. I've made many many squash soups, but not pumpkin soup. Yum!

Blessings, my friend!
Deborah

Hill upon Hill said...

Oh pumpkin soup is a favourite in Australia, pumpkin pie my own special memory of my year in America.

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