Pumpkin Soup With Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Nothing says fall or winter more than pumpkin.  From pies to breads to soups, I love everything pumpkin. This creamy pumpkin soup from Williams-Sonoma's Soup of the Day makes the perfect light dinner when served with a salad and bread but works equally well as the first course of a dinner.   The pumpkin I used had a surprisingly large number of seeds; I cooked them all and ate the extra seeds as a snack for the rest of the week.  Even Sidney loved them!

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH SPICY PUMPKIN SEEDS

Serves 6

1 small pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

FOR THE SPICY PUMPKIN SEEDS

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, cleaned

1 teaspoon canola oil

Salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of ground cinnamon

1)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil.  Toss the pumpkin with the oil,
     season with salt and pepper, and spread on the prepared baking sheet.  Roast the pumpkin until soft
     and caramelized, 30-35 minutes.

2)  In a large, heavy pot, warm the butte rover medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute
     until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 1 minute.  Add the
     broth and the pumpkin and bring to a boil.  REduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
     Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

3)  Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor (or use a stick blender the way I
      do; this makes for speedier clean up).  Return to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

4)  To make the spicy pumpkin seeds, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and line a baking
     sheet with tin foil.  In a bowl toss the seeds with the oil.

5)  In another bowl combine 1 teaspoon salt, the cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon.  Add the pumpkin
     seeds to the spice mixture and stir to coat.  Spread the seeds in a single layer on the prepared baking
     sheet and bake, stirring once, until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.  Serve the soup garnished with the
     pumpkin seeds.

Potato Pancakes With Rosemary Infused Pears

The most memorable meal during our recent trip to Bavaria was an impromptu lunch eaten on the top of the Zugspitze.  We had taken shelter from the snow squall in a glass walled cafe and ordered off of a poorly translated menu.  Much to my delight this is what the waitress brought to our table:

My inspiration eaten at the top of the Zugspitze

The potato pancake was light and crispy and smothered in melted Gruyere cheese.  The sauteed pears that accompanied the pancake had been infused with fresh rosemary.  I immediately began to think about how I could recreated this dish at home.  Although it isn't exactly the same, my resulting dish was just as tasty.  To appease my meat loving family I served this with some leftover spiral cut ham that I fried in a bit of olive oil.  I also reheated the previous night's Swiss cheese fondue and served a dollop of the melted cheese on top of the pancakes.  Served with a sparkling white wine, the resulting meal was a perfect light dinner.

POTATO PANCAKES WITH ROSEMARY INFUSED PEARS

For the pears:

4 large ripe (but not too soft) pears
3 large sprigs fresh rosemary
3 or more tablespoons apple or pear juice, or water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg

1)  Peel, core, and slice the pears.

2)  Place in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan
     with two tablespoons of juice or water.  Add
     the rosemary and salt.

3)  Cover the pot and cook over medium heat
      until the pears are fork tender --or cooked to
      your likeness.  Watch the pot carefully, adding more liquid as necessary to

      keep the fruit moist.

4)  When done, remove the rosemary sprigs from the pan.  Sprinkle with the nutmeg.


For the latkes:

1 lb potatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1)  Using the largest holes of a box grater, shred the potatoes
      into a large bowl.

2)  Add the salt and pepper, toss to combine, and let the
     potatoes sit for 5 minutes.

3)  Using your hands, squeeze all of the liquid from the
      potatoes.

4)  Heat the oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet.

5)  Once the oil is shimmering, drip the potato mixture by large
      handfuls into the oil.  Quickly spread the potato mixture to
      form a flat pancake.

6)  Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp and
      brown.  Adjust the heat to make sure the potatoes don't cook too quickly.   Using a spatula,
      flip the pancakes over and continue to cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.

Side two is cooking

7)  Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack in a 250 degree oven until all of the pancakes have
      been cooked.

My version