PUMPKIN GINGER SOUP
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon peeled and diced fresh ginger
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup raw, hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add ginger, carrots, celery, onion, and saute until vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and stir well. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.
Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree the mixture until smooth. Strain the soup back into the saucepan and add the cream. Keep warm.
Put the raw pepitas in a medium non-stick skillet and toast over medium-high heat, stirring until the seeds are fragrant, light brown, and begin to pop, about 3 minutes.
To serve, ladle the warm soup into serving bowls and garnish with toasted pepitas.
TOMATILLO SALSA
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
8 tomatillos, husked and diced
1 cup diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To prepare the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Let stand at least 1 hour and not more than 3 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. That's it!
Both recipes are from Seasonal Southwest Cooking by Barbara Pool Fenzl.
