Canned Pumpkin: Much More Than Pies!

Every year when fall arrives, it makes me think of pumpkin pies. That comes naturally enough considering that a couple of pumpkin pies served with whipped cream is as traditional as turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. I usually have a can of pumpkin puree in the cupboard, and it became even more exciting when I realized that many other things can be done with it in addition to just making pies.

I tried various recipes and I have found that if it uses pumpkin, we usually like it. There are pumpkin cookies and pumpkin muffins. I know of an old colonial inn that serves pumpkin soup although I have not tried making that yet. Pumpkin bread baking in the oven always fills the house with glorious aromas of spicy deliciousness.

I have discovered that buying the canned puree is what works better for me, but if you have an overabundance of "real" pumpkin, go ahead and cut it up and cook your own into puree. Many people grow the pie variety of pumpkins in a garden throughout summer specifically to do this and although it is a lot more work, it will be fine to do it that way.

I have a good recipe chosen for when I want to try that pumpkin soup. You will start by frying up about half a dozen slices of bacon. Usually I like using the pre-cooked ready to use kind that just needs to be heated, but that won't work for this recipe because you will be using the flavor of the drippings in the pan. Fry the strips of bacon in a heavy pan until it is crisp. When it is finished frying, remove it from the pan, but do not discard the drippings. Set the bacon aside.

Add a tablespoon of butter or margarine and a diced medium onion to your bacon drippings and heat until the onions are soft. You will not want to let them go too long, however, because they are not supposed to get browned, just softened. It will help if you keep the heat relatively low while softening the onions. At this point, add a tablespoon of flour and let it heat for about a minute.

Immediately add 2 cups of chicken broth (16 ounces) to the flour mixture. I like buying the relatively new paper containers of chicken broth. What's left over is put into the refrigerator and I have found many uses for a little chicken broth throughout the week. I first started doing this after hearing Rachael Ray talking about it on her Food Network show. She was right, and adding chicken broth to many recipes gives it a taste of homemade that the dish would not normally have.

Stir the chicken broth into the flour mixture and then add a 16 ounce can of pumpkin puree (or your own cooked equivalent amount) and 1 cup of heavy cream. Make sure that you are stirring the soup constantly at this point and it will soon get very smooth. Add whatever herbs and spices you would like at this point. When I make it, I plan to add pepper and maybe cinnamon. There may be an herb or two that I want to add when I make it, too, but I'm not decided about that yet.

When it is time to serve in individual dishes, put some of the bacon that you have crumbled or diced on top of the soup. This is a perfect first course for a company meal or for a celebration of Thanksgiving.

Many people enjoy a good slice of pumpkin bread and you may be surprised at how simple it is to make. There are very few steps involved. If you have all of the ingredients set out and ready, it will take even less time for preparation.

Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour with 1 cup of sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. In another bowl, mix 1 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup water, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, a sprinkling of nutmeg, and 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Add your dry ingredient mixture to this wet mixture and stir it until it is moistened but do not mix it too much, just lightly combine dry and wet without overdoing the stirring.

At this point, I like to add some crushed walnuts, anywhere from 1/2 cup to a cup, but if you don't like them, skip this part; the bread is fine without them. All that's left to do is to bake the pumpkin bread in a buttered loaf pan for about 50 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees. It will be finished when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

This item wrapped in colored plastic wrap makes a lovely holiday gift as well.