Pumpkin Soup

Last night we had another cooking class at the Roosevelt Church. It was another great success and I have another recipe to add to my favorites. And, we have a couple bushels of pie pumpkins from our garden which I need to use. This recipe was rated number one of all the recipes from last night's class. I'm going to make this recipe tonight.

Pumpkin Soup

Servings: 8
While this soup has a long cooking time, it does not need to be watched constantly. You can put this on the back burner while working on the rest of Thanksgiving dinner. If you wash the seeds, getting the membranes washed off, you can roast them for a delicious snack.

Four cups of canned pumpkin can be substituted for fresh pumpkin.

4 pounds pumpkins, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cups onions, chopped
3 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, optional
1/2 teaspoon sugar
8 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Cut pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds. Cut into large chunks and place in large pot. Add 1 teaspoon salt and boil until tender (approximately 15 min)

Drain, let cook, and scoop out pumkin. Mash. You should have about 4 cups.

In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the onions, bay leaves, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, the white pepper (if using) and sugar.

Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and slightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Add the broth, pumpkin puree, spices and peanut butter. Stir to mix. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until it coats a spoon, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Yields: 2 quarts