Cooking Lesson #684: Jack O’ Lantern Soup Served in a Pumpkin

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? My cousin Monroe was the mayor of Ojai, a small town near Ventura, California. While Monroe was a well-known optometrist, he had a knack for growing some simple plants in an open field near the house. There was nothing better than going out to field to collect some corn and immediately boil the ears in milk.
 
Winifred, Monroe’s wife, was a “holiday” lady and she would celebrate the arrival of fall with wonderful seasonal foods. One year Monroe decided to grow pumpkins. I think he was trying for a world record size and weight. Winnie’s hope was for a great looking and tasting pumpkin for her Halloween pumpkin soup.
 
I was just a kid, and my memory may be a little faint, but this is how I remember Winnie would cook up the soup. By the way the fun part was, she served it in a hollowed-out pumpkin, too. All of us looked forward to it every year. You can dress it up with homemade croutons and lacy Parmesan cheese webs.
 
I love soup in general but this soup, in particular, is my favorite. I don’t know any short cuts for making this recipe where you can get the same results.
 
Soup Prep time: 1 hour
Soup Cook time: 1-1/2 hours
Soup Yield:  6 to 8 servings (about 2-1/2 quarts)
 
Ingredients 
1 pumpkin, about 8 to 10 inches in diameter
1 stick unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 small white turnips, peeled and sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 large potato, peeled and sliced
6 cups chicken stock or more as needed
1 large traditional French-style baguette, thinly sliced (I prefer La Brea Bakery)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I prefer Penzy’s)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup shelled, toasted and salted pumpkin seeds for garnish (see recipe below)
 
Directions

1. Thoroughly wash the pumpkin. Cut off the top of the pumpkin at least 5 inches across, so that it can serve as a lid for your Jack O’ Lantern.
2. Scoop out and set aside all seeds and stringy material.
3. Using a large sturdy spoon, scrape out 6 cups of pumpkin meat, taking care not to break through the outer skin. Set the pumpkin and its lid in a warm place aside until ready to serve.
4. In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
5. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the wine and simmer for 1 minute.
7. Add the turnips, carrot, potato, pumpkin meat and enough chicken stock or water to barely cover the ingredients.
8. Cover the soup pot and bring to a boil.
9. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 6 tablespoons butter, and add bread slices, turning until lightly browned on both sides.
10. Set the toasted bread slices aside; half for the garnish and, when soup has come to a boil, add the remaining half to the soup.
11. Gently simmer the soup for 1 hour, stirring once or twice. The soup will be very thick; if it seems in danger of burning, reduce heat and stir in a small amount broth or wine.
12. Add the cream and season to taste with the pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper.
13. Using an immersion blender (stick blender), carefully purée the hot soup in the pot until very smooth.
14. Pour the hot soup into the pumpkin shell. Serve from the pumpkin, garnishing each serving with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and one or two reserved toast croutons.

ChefSecret:  If you don’t have a stick blender, remove the soup from the kettle and allow to cool until it is no longer steaming, then purée in a food processor or blender. Return soup to a clean pot and reheat gently before serving. Decorate your pumpkin with a “Sharpie” design.
 
                                           To Roast the Pumpkin Seeds
Prep time:  30 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour

Ingredients
2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds, or whatever you scoop from 1 pumpkin
3 tablespoons butter, melted, or an equal amount of your favorite cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt or other seasonings
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, optional
 
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250˚F.
2. Line a large baking pan with foil and lightly grease it with butter or oil.
3. Separate the fibrous strands from the seeds. It’s okay if you don’t get every string off.
4. Rinse and clean the seeds in a colander. Drain well and pat dry. Get as much water off the seeds as possible so they don’t steam during the roasting process. You want them to be roasted and crunchy, not steamy and chewy.
5. Toss the dried pumpkin seeds in the remaining ingredients and stir to coat.
6. Spread them in an even layer on the baking pan, and roast them for 45 minutes, tossing them occasionally to expose both sides of the seeds to the heat.
7. Increase the oven temperature to 325˚F for the last 5 minutes of roasting to optimize the crunch.
8. They can be enjoyed right away or, if saving for later, make sure they cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.

 
​Quip of the Day:  Q. Where do pumpkins like to live? A. In the seedy part of town!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected].  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.
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                                                                             ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

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