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Carving pumpkins is nothing new. People have been making jack o’ lanterns for centuries. In Britain, they carved scary faces on turnips and beets and set them in windows to scare away evil wandering spirits. When immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and England came to the United States, they found that pumpkins made perfect jack o’ lanterns.
Only very recently have Americans begun to recognize that pumpkins are as good to eat as to carve. First there was pumpkin pie. Then pumpkin showed up in muffins and cheesecake.
But pumpkins - members of the gourd family - can be used in the same ways as any other winter squash. The French use pumpkin almost exclusively to make soup. The dark orange meat has a mild, sweet taste. The French sometimes turn the pumpkin into a tureen - filling it with cheese and bread and baking the whole thing until the interior becomes a thick, rich soup.
Pumpkins are available in the fall and winter months, and pureed pumpkin is available in cans year-round. When using fresh pumpkin, the smaller ones are usually best. Small, sweet jack-be-littles, cheese pumpkins or sugar pumpkins are all good choices.
In fact, one of the few pumpkins not fit to eat is the kind you carve. Jack o’ lantern pumpkins have watery, stringy pulp. But you can save and toast the seeds, which have a nutty flavor and are good snacks or soup garnishes. For cooking, pick unblemished pumpkins that are heavy for their size.
Canned pumpkin is the easiest way to add the distinctive flavor and orange color - indicating the presence of cancer-fighting beta-carotene - to a dish. Pumpkins also are a good source of Vitamin A.
The following recipe makes a thick rich soup - or bisque - with pieces of apple for a nice color contrast and some crunch - a perfect way to welcome fall and celebrate Halloween.
Pumpkin Bisque - Makes 6 cups or 6 servings.
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the leek and apple until the leek softens, about 4 minutes.
Add the broth, yam, pumpkin and thyme. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the yam and apple are soft when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer soup
to a blender or food processor and purée. Divide among
6 bowls. Garnish, if desired, with the chives and serve.
Per serving: 82 calories, 3 g. total fat (<1 g. saturated
fat), 14 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. protein, 4 g. dietary fiber, 392
mg. sodium.