It's Pumpkin Time!

Well, obviously I didn't get to that bread recipe.  Smoky (the hubby - he works for the Forest Service) had some meniscus tears repaired in his knee and is on the couch with his leg elevated for a few weeks.  So I have taken over his chores in addition to my own. And while he may have time off from work, I don't.  At any rate, I've been a busy gal.

We love going to our local swap meet or flea market.  In the summer I can pick up locally grown produce we don't grow in our own garden.  In September, I bought some sugar pumpkins.

They've sat cheerfully on the counter for two months.  Pumpkins and hard squashes like butternut will keep beautifully through the winter months.  Usually I store them in the garage where it's cooler, but I knew I would be processing the sugar pumpkins for Thanksgiving pies.

 

The stems snap off easily.  Splitting them in half is pretty simple too.

 

 

I LOVE roasted pumpkin seeds!  They are high in zinc and very tasty.  Just scoop them out with your hands.

 

 

 

Give them a good rinse . . .

 

 



 

 

. . . add a small handful of salt . . .

 

 

 

. . . and let them set overnight. Then drain them, rinse, and stir in a few teaspoons of vegetable oil.  Roast at 300 degrees till they just turn golden, about 50-60 minutes. Yum!

 

Back to the pumpkins.  Put them cut side down on a lightly greased baking sheet, add two cups of water, and cover with aluminum foil.  Bake about an hour.  They should feel soft and give when you poke them.

 

 



 

Let them cool.  Scrape out any remaining membrane with a spoon and put it in the chicken bucket.  Scoop out the flesh.

 

 

Use a mixer to beat the scooped-out pumpkin smooth.  Some strings and odd hard pieces will remain, so I like to press it through a colander.

 

 

 

Just a little over 2 cups of delicious sugar pumpkin.  It's more work than opening a can, but oh so worth it! 

 

 





 

 

I have a half day on Wednesday, so I will bake pie that afternoon.  Happy Thanksgiving all!

 





Nippy November Nights

Forgive the alliteration of the post title.  I'm an English teacher.  It happens.

We had our first storm of the season pass through here in northern Arizona.  We're in the mountains - about 5300 feet - so we do get snow.  We only got a dusting, but boy, the temperature sure did drop.  Forty degrees for a daytime temp is chilly for us.  Factor in the wind, and it was a good day to stay inside and make....soup!

I had picked the last of the garden green beans ahead of the storm's hard frost on Friday.  We harvested potatoes last week, and the garden still had chard and some herbs.  All things were pointing toward a big pot of minestrone. 

This recipe uses link Italian chicken sausage, but pork would work too; so would breakfast sausage, though I would drain it well on paper towels.  The prep is easy (though all the dicing takes a bit of time), and it makes plenty to feed a crowd or to have for leftovers.  (We are big on leftovers in this house.  I work a four-day week, which means 10-hour days of middle schoolers plus a 45-minute commute.)  Any small pasta (orzo, broken angel hair, etc.) could substitute for the Ramen.  I needed to rotate the food storage ...so in the Ramen went.

Harvest Minestrone
3 links sweet Italian chicken sausage, around 1 lb
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 quart chicken stock (I usually use homemade, but I was out!)
1 quart water
1 pint tomatoes - I used my own - or a 14.5 ounce can of diced or crush between your hands
3 medium potatoes, diced
2 c. fresh green beans, strings removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot diced
small bunch Italian parsley (I made mine into a bouquet garni, but you could also chop it)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large bay leaf, broken in half
1 small bunch Swiss chard, ribs removed
1 can cannellini or white beans, drained
2 packages Ramen noodles

If using link sausage, remove the sausage from the casings.  Heat a large kettle; swirl in a little extra virgin olive oil around the bottom.  Add the sausage, breaking it up as it browns.  Add the garlic near the end.

 

When the sausage has lost most of its pink color, add the chicken stock.  Stir well to get all the lovely brown caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot.  Add the water and the tomatoes.

 



(On the left is the last of my homemade chicken stock.  See the sugar pumpkins in the background?  They are destined for Thanksgiving pie and another post!  But back to minestrone...)

Add the remaining ingredients except for the chard, beans and noodles.  Let the soup simmer and fill your home with the tantalizing scent of cozy soup goodness for about 90 minutes.  In the meantime, cut the chard into ribbons.  I do this by stacking the leaves, rolling them like a cigar, and thinly slicing the roll.  (Sorry; more photos and better sequencing next time...still getting the hang of blogging!)

 

Add the chard, drained beans, and the Ramen.  Simmer another 15 minutes.  If you used a bouquet garni of parsley, remove it.  Salt to taste. 

 

Lavish steaming bowls of your minestrone generously with grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve with crusty bread and a nice bottle of Chianti.

 

 

I'm embarrassed to admit that the photo shows leftover soup ready to store in the frig.  We were starving, and I forgot to take the pic. ( Like I said, I'm working on it.)  At any rate, this recipe makes a very thick soup - more like a stew.  Watch it as it cooks down, and add more water or broth.

 

I actually made some delicious whole wheat bread to go with this soup, but the fire has died down and it's my bedtime.  4:00 a.m. comes all too soon.  I'll try to post the bread recipe tomorrow.