Pumpkin Soup

I had another pumpkin just sitting out in the front waiting for me to do something with it!  So tonight I made a pumpkin soup!  I also baked the seeds for extra toppings!

1 medium pumpkin, seeded, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup cognac
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1) Boil cubed pumpkin in water until soft.  Drain and place in batches in Cuisinart and blend, set aside.

2) Next, saute onion in pan until transparent and add to the Cuisinart and blend with the pumpkin.  Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

3) Take the cognac and deglaze the pan you sauteed the onion in, cooking liquid down to 1 tablespoon then add to the pumpkin mixture.

4) Pour all the pumpkin back into the initial pan you boiled the pumpkin in and set on a low temperature adding the milk in at this time.  Adjust spices and warm to desired temperature before serving.  Serves 4.

For Serving:  I placed a little whipped cream in the center and dusted with cinnamon the children thought they were getting a dessert for dinner:)

Pumpkin Puree over Cheese Ravioli

  My kids made these adorable vegetable decorated pumpkins a couple of weekends ago at the Arboretum near our house.  After they were displayed for a week or so I noticed they were not looking so good.  So... I thought I would make dinner out of them!  Let's not tell the children what they are eating for dinner, lol!

Cute Pumpkin...which will now be dinner!

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced

4 tablespoons butter, (your choice)
1 small pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and diced

Note: Dice the pumpkin in smaller cubes for quicker sauteing time

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fresh sage, diced
2/3 cup skim or 2% milk

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 bag of cheese Ravioli (your choice)

Method:

1) Saute onions in the butter on medium/high heat for 5 minutes.  Once the onions until turn opaque in color add the diced pumpkin and nutmeg and continue to saute with a lid on the pan until the pumpkin becomes soft, 15 minutes.

2) Next, add the Cinnamon, sage, and milk; stir to combine.  Simultaneously, begin to boil a separate pot of water for the cheese ravioli.

3) Once the remaining spices and milk are added to the pumpkin mixture place it in a small Cuisinart or blender and blend on high until no lumps are visible.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place back in pan used to cook the pumpkin to keep warm while the Cheese Ravioli is cooking.

 

4) Once ravioli is done mix a small amount of the pumpkin sauce with the ravioli and serve by placing the sauce on top of each pile of ravioli and decorate with sage and a dusting of Parmesan. 

Pumpkin Puree over Cheese Ravioli...Yum!