I love Fall. It happens to be my favorite time of the year. I think it’s the crispness that enters the air and the chance to don my favorite big baggy sweatshirt. Nothing makes me happier that a steaming cup of coffee, my fav sweatshirt, a good book and Fall! So, in keeping with our “All Things Stuffed” and my love of Fall, here is the next in our series.
Pumpkin Soup and Popovers

~Serves 6~

Food Stuffs:
1 Butternut Squash – Peel and half (length wise) and seeded
1 Large Onion
6 Stalks of Celery
4 Large Carrots – Peeled
1 Red Pepper – Halved and seeded
1 Orange or Yellow Pepper – Halved and seeded
2 Garlic Cloves
32oz Chicken Stock
1quart Half and Half – I have used fat free half and half and it tastes just as good
1 Large can of pumpkin – NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING – you can use fresh pumpkin. Just make sure you bake it down very well.
2 Pkg Cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
1/2 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp Pepper, 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper, 1/4 tsp Paprika and 3 shakes Nutmeg

Pop-overs:
Crescent Roll dough or pizza dough is very yummy, as well
4 Cups shredded cabbage
1 Med onion – julienned
1 Lbs ground beef or turkey
Butter
Salt, Pepper , Garlic Powder and Olive Oil

First things, first – Let’s prepare our vegetables: Peal and halve the carrots and onions. Wrap the squash in tin foil and place it in the oven on 400 till it  bakes down to a golden brown. Clean the remaining veggies and toss them into a pot along with the seasoning. Cover the vegetables with chicken stock and set to med-high heat. Allow veggies to cook down until they are mushy. DO NOT UNDER COOK THE VEGETABLES! You really want them to get extremely soft or your soup will be grainy instead of smooth. Once your squash is finished in the oven, add it to the mix and keep simmering. This will take about an hour in a half OR you can always throw ALL the veggies in the crock pot on high and let them cook all day. The goal here is to  develop depth of flavor.

So, the vegetables are cooking…now what? Let’s make the filling for the popovers. Grab your ground beef or ground turkey and the onion. In a med saute pan, heat 2 TBS of olive oil and saute the onions until they are a nice golden color. Add the meat and cook thoroughly, making sure that it breaks into small pieces. Add 3 shakes of garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.  While that is cooking, grab your cabbage and cut it in half. Remove the core. Shred the cabbage using a food processor or a cheese grater, would work as well. Once the meat and onions are cooked, add the cabbage. Cover and let cook until the cabbage is tender – you may need to add a little water to sweat the cabbage down. Be sure to recheck the salt once the cabbage is finished cooking. I HATE under salted food. It annoys me. Set the mixture aside.

Grab a rolling pin and some flour. LIGHTLY dust the surface of your counter with flour. Roll the dough until it is approximately 4inx4in. Place a small amount of the meat mixture in the center of the square. Gently fold the popovers into a pocket shape. Pinch the edges so that they seal. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20min or until they start to brown. Remove from oven and lightly brush with butter. I know that most people shy away from cabbage because it has a strong taste. This is a great recipe because the onions and meat help mellow the flavor and create a truly delicious compliment to the pumpkin soup. TRY IT! You won’t be disappointed.

Back to our soup. The veggies have all cooked down – good! Remove the pot from the stove. Grab your food processor. Place the veggies in the processor; securing the lid, tightly. Blend the food on high for several minutes, until it become smooth like baby food. Return it to the pot.

In the food processor, blend the cream cheese and add the pumpkin filling. Once everything creams up, add it to the veggie mixture in the pot. Add Half and half  and heat soup.

I love to  make this for Fall dinner parties. I set up our meal Buffet style adding several bottles of Cabernet, Chianti and a carafe of hot apple cider. Arrange some beautiful multicolored leaves around your serving dishes and you have a truly lovely meal.