Hooray for soup!

What's wonderful about the holidays, from Thanksgiving clear through New Year's Day, is that there are so many occasions to celebrate with friends and with family. And that means lots of meals and delicious flavors.

Now while what was right for one celebration might not be right for another, there's one dish that works every time.

Soup.

I love soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I love the aromas. I use plenty of spices, garlic, and onion.

I made this soup over Thanksgiving, but it's still right for a cold winter's night and to serve before the Christmas meal. Adding cheese, of course, made it a whole new soup for me. It's fabulously rich, yummy, scrumptious.

I used Gruyere, which melts like a dream!!

PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients:

(serves 2 to 4)

2 cups fresh pumpkin

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup half and half cream

¼ cup shallts, diced

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

1 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon fresh orange zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

dash of ginger

dash of nutmeg

¼ cup Gruyere cheese, shredded plus 2-4 tablespoons

1 clove garlic, mashed

LITTLE JACK PUMPKINS for serving bowls.

Directions:

Carve a 3-4 pound pumpkin in half and then in quarters. Remove the rind. [Harder than it sounds but worth it.] Use a firm surface and a good knife. Dice the pulp of the pumpkin into cubes. Measure 2 cups.

Rub a saucepan with the garlic. In saucepan, heat the butter. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the chicken stock, diced pumpkin, and herbs: parsley, nutmeg, ginger, salt, white pepper. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, covered.

When the pumpkin is tender, put the pulpy portions into a Cuisinart-style blender and puree. [Not as hard as it sounds.]

Return the pulp to the saucepan. Add the juice, zest, and cream. Add the Gruyere cheese to the mixture, reserving the additional 2-4 tablespoons for garnish.

Cook until the cheese is melted. Pour into soup bowls or into prepared Jack Be Little pumpkins.

Preparing Jack Be Little pumpkins:

Remove the tops (about an inch around). Scrape off seeds and set aside for decoration. Scoop out the seeds from the pumpkins. Use as soup bowls.

Using regular soup bowls is acceptable, of course.

If you want a little tidbit on the side, click this link for CHEESE STIX, a recipe shared a while back.

By the way, check out our surprise guest on Sunday and leave a comment. I'm giving away a free copy of The Long Quiche Goodbye to one of the commenters.

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If you'd like to know more about A Cheese Shop Mystery series and want to download a few other recipes from me (on recipe cards), click on this link to my website: Avery Aames. I've posted recipes in the "morsels" section. There's lots of other fun stuff, as well. And sign up for the mailing list to get in on the next contest...coming soon.