Try-It Bite: Pumpkin Soup

I needed one more recipe for Pumpkinfest 2011.  I wanted  new different recipe, so to my husbands dimay, I chose Pumpkin Soup.  I hope you like it!  Steve decided he would like a little texture to the soup, not blending it.  He also thought it needed some tabasco (everything always needs tabasco!).  I liked the texture, I thought it needed a little more salt and a little less thyme.  We both thought Italian sausage would be GREAT in this soup. 

Pumpkin Soup

4 main dish servings

*Martha Stewart*

Ingredients

6 c chicken stock

3 c pumpkin

1 med onion

3 cloves garlic

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 t thyme

1/2 c heavy cream

Directions:

1.  In a medium saucepn, defrost stock

2.  Add pumpkin, onion, garlic, salt, and thyme, bring to a boil

2.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.  With immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.

*Note*  You can also do this in a blender in batches

4.  Add cream, simmer for an additional 10 minutes

Try-It Bite: Pumpkin Penne

Who's to say Pumpkin is just for dessert?!  Now before you say, "Eww, gross"  like my husband often does, try it!  We have a rule in the Tobin house! Before you say "I don't like it,"  have a Try-It Bite!  How will you broaden your taste buds if you don't try!  This was our most recent Try-It Bite.  My review is 4= Good flavor, but needs a little tweaking.  Its a nice change of pace for a fall meal.  I added Parmesan cheese to the recipe, and the sauce was a little runny, so I think next time, I'll only do the wine, which added a lot of flavor.  I thought as I was making it, there would be too much of a nutmeg flavor, but it mellowed very nicely.  This is the original recipe.

Sausage Pumpkin Penne

serves 4

*Rachael Ray recipe*

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed

4 cloves of garlic

1 med onion

1 bay leaf

1 T sage

1 c white wine

1 c chicken stock

1 c pumpkin

1/2 c milk

1/4 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb penne, cooked

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions:

1.  Brown Sausage

2.  When almost fully cooked, add garlic and onion, cook until garlic and onion soft and sausage fully cooked

3.  Add bay leaf, sage, and wine, cook for about 3 minutes

4.  Add pumpkin, bring to boil

5.  Add milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, remove bay leaf.  Reduce heat, simmer for about 5 minutes

6.  This is where I attempted to reduce the sauce by simmering for about 10 minutes.

7.  I then added about 1 c Parmesan cheese for a little flavor and to help thicken the sauce slightly.