This was an experiment the other day when my roomie botched her first attempt this year at making a Jack-o-Lantern, but it turned out really great! I'd never cooked anything with pumpkin before, but I'd heard you can make mashes or soups with them, so I thought... let's see what we can do!
Oops Jack Soup
1 medium pumpkin
2 red potatoes
2 celery stalks
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 stick salted butter (1/4 lb)
whole milk
chicken stock (or bouillon cubes/powder)
basil, dried
rosemary, dried
black pepper
salt
Wash your pumpkin, then remove the stem, flower end (we refer to this as the veggie butt, around here, lol), and seeds from the inside. If you're using a failed Jack like we did, you've probably already done some of that!
Slice the pumpkin into pieces about the size of your hand for easier peeling, then peel (any old veggie peeler works fine for this), and peel your potatoes. Discard all peels, and cube the pumpkin flesh and potato chunks. Toss them into your soup kettle with a couple inches of chicken stock and cover, and bring to a boil, then drop temperature into a simmer. The pumpkin flesh will become slightly clear when it becomes cooked, and will have a softened texture - if you regularly cook squashes of other types, this'll be familiar to you.
Dice up the celery, onion, and garlic while you heat a skillet and melt your butter in it. Add the diced stuff, plus 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and basil, once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, and stir that good stuff around for a few minutes until your onions become transparent. I used sweet onions, but it'd be delicious with any kind of onions, I'm sure! Once the onions are done, carefully put the contents of the skillet into the kettle, making sure to get all the little bits out of there (I used a baking spatula to help).Â
When the pumpkin cubes are soft enough to start smashing up on their own just as you stir the pot, take your immersion blender to the kettle to puree everything (you can use a standard blender for this if you want, in batches, it just takes longer - think about getting an immersion blender for Christmas, though, they're super handy!). Add milk until it reaches your desired consistency and creaminess, in my case it was comparable to a light gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste, and you can add a little more of other seasonings if you like, too!
Serve with toasted bread for dipping.
Oops Jack Chowder
Above, plus...
More red potatoes
More celery
Carrots
Green bell peppers
For a heartier version, after the puree stage add in some diced red potato and green bell pepper, quartered-and-diced carrot, and celery slices about 1/4" thick. Let that simmer until the potatoes soften, and serve.
Oops Jack Soup
1 medium pumpkin
2 red potatoes
2 celery stalks
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 stick salted butter (1/4 lb)
whole milk
chicken stock (or bouillon cubes/powder)
basil, dried
rosemary, dried
black pepper
salt
Wash your pumpkin, then remove the stem, flower end (we refer to this as the veggie butt, around here, lol), and seeds from the inside. If you're using a failed Jack like we did, you've probably already done some of that!
Slice the pumpkin into pieces about the size of your hand for easier peeling, then peel (any old veggie peeler works fine for this), and peel your potatoes. Discard all peels, and cube the pumpkin flesh and potato chunks. Toss them into your soup kettle with a couple inches of chicken stock and cover, and bring to a boil, then drop temperature into a simmer. The pumpkin flesh will become slightly clear when it becomes cooked, and will have a softened texture - if you regularly cook squashes of other types, this'll be familiar to you.
Dice up the celery, onion, and garlic while you heat a skillet and melt your butter in it. Add the diced stuff, plus 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and basil, once the pan is hot and the butter is melted, and stir that good stuff around for a few minutes until your onions become transparent. I used sweet onions, but it'd be delicious with any kind of onions, I'm sure! Once the onions are done, carefully put the contents of the skillet into the kettle, making sure to get all the little bits out of there (I used a baking spatula to help).Â
When the pumpkin cubes are soft enough to start smashing up on their own just as you stir the pot, take your immersion blender to the kettle to puree everything (you can use a standard blender for this if you want, in batches, it just takes longer - think about getting an immersion blender for Christmas, though, they're super handy!). Add milk until it reaches your desired consistency and creaminess, in my case it was comparable to a light gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste, and you can add a little more of other seasonings if you like, too!
Serve with toasted bread for dipping.
Oops Jack Chowder
Above, plus...
More red potatoes
More celery
Carrots
Green bell peppers
For a heartier version, after the puree stage add in some diced red potato and green bell pepper, quartered-and-diced carrot, and celery slices about 1/4" thick. Let that simmer until the potatoes soften, and serve.
Lydia Lightfoot ~ The Reliquarian's Guild «Relic» ~ Lavender Beds, Ward 12, #41
This player has a sense of humor. If the content of the post suggests otherwise, please err on the side of amusement and friendship, because that's almost certainly the intent. We're all on the same team: Team Roleplayer! Have a smile, have a chuckle, and have a slice of pie. Isn't pie great?
This player has a sense of humor. If the content of the post suggests otherwise, please err on the side of amusement and friendship, because that's almost certainly the intent. We're all on the same team: Team Roleplayer! Have a smile, have a chuckle, and have a slice of pie. Isn't pie great?
