Creamy Pumkin Soup
Dinner In A Pumpkin
Easy, Last Minute Christmas Fruit Cake
Soup in a Pumpkin
2 cups finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup butter
3 cans chicken broth - 14 oz. each, regular or low-fat,
or, about 6 cups of homemade chicken stock
2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 can of pumpkin (16 oz)
1 can evaporated milk - undiluted, regular or skim
1/4 cup grated parmesan + additional for topping
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation -
In a large saucepan or stockpot, very lightly saute onions and celery in 1/4
cup butter. Cook until onions begin to look translucent. Add broth, pumpkin,
evaporated milk, parmesan, spices and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add
salt and pepper, if needed. Stir in remaining butter.
Pour hot soup into the prepared pumpkin shell. Top with grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh chives if desired.
A Pumpkin Shell Holds This Soup Very Well
by Sandy Moyer ©2002
A hollow pumpkin shell makes the perfect tureen for Creamy Pumpkin Soup. A large
pumpkin shell can hold enough soup for a festive fall family gathering or a
Halloween party!
For good balance, select a round fat pumpkin with a thick, hard skin. Look for
one that's close to an ideal bowl shape with a sturdy base...one that easily
stands on its own.
First prepare the pumpkin shell. While it's baking make the soup.
To prepare the pumpkin shell soup tureen-
Wash the pumpkin with warm water and and pat it dry. Using a sharp knife, insert
the tip and cut away a round section on top to form a lid. Scoop out the seeds
and stringy mass with a large spoon.
Spray the pumpkin inside and out with a non-stick oil cooking spray. Lightly
sprinkle the inside with salt. Spray a heavy baking sheet with cooking spray
also. Place the pumpkin on the baking sheet. Place the lid aside of the pumpkin,
cut side down.
Bake at 325° for 1 hour or slightly longer, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Bake until the inside of the pumpkin shell just begins to soften. The shell will be a deep orange color and have a shine from the cooking spray. Do not over bake. An over baked shell will not support the weight of the soup. Remove from oven. Very gently scoop out any remaining stringy areas you might have missed. Check the bottom of the the lid as well.
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Select a pumpkin that's slightly flattened on the bottom, It should be sturdy,
balanced, and able to easily stand on it's own.
1 medium to large size round pumpkin - about 7 to 10 pounds
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T. lemon juice
1 can pork & beans (15 to 16 oz.)
1 16 oz can chopped cooked tomatoes
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups rice, uncooked
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Preparation -
Wash the pumpkin. Cut a circular piece out the top to form a lid. Scrape out
the seeds and stringy membrane with a large metal spoon and discard. Also check
the bottom of the lid and scrape off and stringy area.
In a large skillet, lightly brown the ground beef, then drain off any excess fat. Add onion and chopped green pepper, saute lightly and drain again. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, bean, rice, brown sugar, lemon juice and seasonings. Combine with meat mixture, stir to mix all ingredients together.
Place the pumpkin on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Spoon mixture into the pumpkin cavity. Loosely place the lid on the filled pumpkin. Bake at 350° for one hour. Remove the lid, reduce heat to 300° and bake one more hour.
Lay a few romaine lettuce leaves or other leafy greens around the outside of the pumpkin When serving, scoop out part of the baked pumpkin with each portion, if desired. Serve with a loaf of warm crusty French or Italian bread.
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This cake has no added sugar or fat (suitable for a range of diets) but is
still really sweet and rich. It should be stored in the fridge and eaten within
one week.
8oz/250g/2 cups of cooking dates with the stones removed
10 fl.oz/300ml/1-1/4 cups of water (you could substitute 1/4 cup of brandy or
sherry for 1/4 cup of the water if you like)
6oz/175g/1-1/4 cups of wholemeal flour
1 lb/450g/3 cups of mixed dried fruit of your choice - including lots of dried
apricots works very well
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
4 tablespoons of orange juice
For decoration: You can either do a traditional marzipan and white icing topping or use rows of different nuts such as walnuts, pecans, brazils and almonds.
Heat the dates and water until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and mash with a fork. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a greased 2lb/900g cake tin and level top. If using the nut topping place rows of different nuts on top of the cake prior to cooking. Bake at 170C/340F for about an hour and a half until cooked. Once cooled the nut topping can be glazed with a little syrup (melt some sugar into hot water) or you can ice traditionally.
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The original recipe:
Cut top off of 1 medium pumpkin and remove seeds and stringy material, bake
pumpkin for 20-25 min.in 1" of water. While it is baking cook 1.5 lbs of
ground beef in a skillet to the ground beef add 1 diced onion -1/2tsp-1tsp of
sage and 1-2 cloves of minced garlic. When the meat is completely cooked add
1 large tomatoe cut into large cubes and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms add 2 cups
of cooked rice. Place the ground beef mixture into the pumpkin and bake for
30 minutes at 350 depending on the pumpkin it may or may not be done at his
point if not done continue baking checking every 10-15 minutes. Be careful if
you remove from the pan that it was baked in as the bottom will be very soft.
I usually put a large pie pan under the pumpkin and then put that into a baking
pan to cook it. That way you can serve it in just the pie pan.
my version of the above recipe..lol good luck with the measurements..
in this version I use the small pumpkins and each is used as it's own serving
bowl...
Cut top off of 3 small pumpkins and remove seeds and stringy material, bake pumpkin for 10-20 min.in 1" of water
sautee....
1 diced medium onion
1 large tomato cut into large chunks
2 portebella mushrooms sliced
1-2 cloves garlic minced
steam lightly whatever fresh vegetables you like/have on hand
2 cups cooked long grain wild rice
add whatever herbs and spices per your own taste...
mix all the above together and pack lightly into the pumpkins
bake at 350 for 25 minutes..if not done add 10 minute more cooking time
The pumpkin in a dinner is finished cooking when the pumpkin "gives" to a gentle poke of the finger...
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