The Pumpkin Tureen Food

THE PUMPKIN TUREEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare the pumpkin as though you were going to make a jack-o-lantern, but stop short of carving the face. (Cut off the top; remove the seeds and stringy stuff.) Place onion, bread, cheese, horseradish, and mustard inside the pumpkin. Mix with your hands until well combines. Add milk and broth (as much as will fit - you can adjust the amounts) along with the seasonings. Stir it up. Line the pumpkin lid with a piece of foil, and place it on top. Place the filled pumpkin in an ungreased baking pan. Bake until the pumpkin is tender (about 2 hours). To test for tenderness, remove the lid, and gently stick a fork into the side. It should go in easily. To Serve: Scoop deeply to bring up some pumpkin pieces from the sides and bottom along with the soup. If desired, top with some crunchy rye croutons. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the 2 medium pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds, and place skin-side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until soft. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into food processor and puree until smooth. Pour pureed pumpkin into a saucepan and add the chicken broth, water, maple syrup and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the top off the large pumpkin to create the soup tureen. The hole should be wide enough to fit a ladle. Hollow out the seeds, checking for holes and lining with plastic, if necessary. Remove the soup from heat and stir in the half and half. Pour the soup into the pumpkin tureen and serve garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds.