PUMPKIN SOUP

RECIPES THAT DON’T REQUIRE YOU TO THINK TOO MUCH, PLAN AHEAD OR DO ANYTHING TOO HARD OR TOO SCARY.

So, what do you do with a leftover pumpkin after Halloween is over and all the little spooks and goblins have gone back home with their candy in their bags? You make pumpkin soup, of course! It's really not hard at all to make and it tastes so good on a cold and frosty November night. And, as a bonus, you will feel like you're being frugal and doing a good thing rather than let a perfectly good pumpkin sit around until it gets all moldy and ends up being thrown away in the trash. Just make sure the pumpkin you are using isn't already moldy. Pumpkin soup is a perfect ending to a great Halloween celebration and a fine way to say farewell to your pumpkin friend or friends. So, let's get started:

1. First, you start with a medium size pumpkin that is still firm to the touch. Cut it up into chunks, taking off the outside skin and scooping out all the seeds if there are still any in there.

2. Now put the chunks into a nice deep skillet. You will be tempted to add water, but don't do it. Just add about 2 T. of olive oil to the pumpkin.

3. Now add 1 C. of shoestring carrots. Or, you can just take a regular carrot, peel and chop it up finely and use that.

3. Next add 1/2 of an onion, peeled and chopped.

4. Sprinkle about 1 tsp. Kosher salt over it all, put on a lid and start to cook over medium-high heat. After it has cooked for about 5 minutes, take the lid off and start stirring. Keep stirring while you add 1 C. chicken stock to the pumpkin. Allow the the pumpkin absorb the stock.

5. Add more stock as the pumpkin cooks until it gets very soft and mushy. This will take about 25 minutes. You will only need to use about 1/2 of the carton of chicken stock before the pumpkin has cooked enough.

6. Now get out your potato masher and mash it all up. Once it is mashed as much as you can get it, add about 1 C. of heavy cream.

7. Next get out your upright blender and puree the whole thing until there are no more lumps.

Or, just put the whole pan into your blender. You want to get it as smooth as possible and not too thin.

8. Put it into bowls, sprinkle a little parsley on top and serve it up. Serves 4-6. Enjoy!