Seasonal Recipe of the Week
The red edition of the The Silver Palate Cookbook has some great recipes in it. This one is for a smoky pumpkin soup and — needless to say — the smoky flavor comes from my main man: bacon. Check it out.
Ingredients
6 slices bacon, diced, cooked crisp, fat reserved
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 cups peeled, cut up, cubed pumpkin (1 inch pieces)
6 cups beef broth or canned beef broth
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish (optional)
Procedure
Heat the bacon fat and the butter in a stockpot. Add the pumpkin and sauté for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and simmer covered for about 30 minutes, till pumpkin is tender. Remove from heat and stir in the Marsala, thyme, salt, and pepper. Process the soup in the blender or food processor till smooth and return to the stockpot. Now add the reserved crumbled bacon. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds. This recipe serves 6 people.
