My Mother's Cooking - Pumpkin Soup and Potato Soup
My Mother's Pumpkin Soup
What is Allspice?
- Allspice Cooking Tips, Measures, and Substitutions
Learn how to cook with allspice, including how to measure and substitute for ground allspice and whole allspice berries. - Allspice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
- Video: Roast Pumpkin Seeds - Allrecipes.com
See the three simple steps to roasting pumpkin seeds.
My Mother's Cooking
================
PUMPKIN SOUP
================
In the fall, when the pumpkins in our garden ripened, my mother used some of them to make pumpkin soup. This soup was very similar to potato soup except that pumpkin was substituted for potatoes and a little sugar and a touch of cinnamon were added. This was just one of several meatless soups that my mother used to make.
-------------------------
Make sure that you use one of the smaller pumpkins, which generally taste better. The pumpkin should be a bright orange with no green areas. A pumpkin about eight inches in diameter works well for me.
-------------------------
Remember to save the seeds which you remove. They are delicious roasted. Simply wash them well and cook them over low heat in a non stick frying pan with a little oil and salt. keep stirring them so that they cook evenly and taste them to see if they are done.
================
Difficulty:
Easy
Preparation Time:
30 Minutes
Cooking Time:
60 Minutes
================
Ingredients:
1 Small (Pie Size) Ripe Pumpkin
1 Medium Onion
4 Cups of Whole Milk or Cream
20 Whole Allspice
1 Cup of Flour
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Sugar
¼ Teaspoon cinnamon
3 Teaspoons Salt
Pepper to taste
================
Preparation:
1. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds with a large spoon.
2. Cut the halves into one-inch strips and peel off the skin.
3. Cut each strip into ½ inch pieces. You should have about 6 cups of pumpkin
4. Peel and finely chop the onion.
================
Cooking Instructions:
1. Place the pumpkin and onions in a six-quart kettle and cover with six cups of cold water.
2. Add two teaspoons of salt and the allspice and gently boil about 40 minutes until the pumpkin begins to fall apart.
3. Meanwhile, place the flour in a large soup plate and slowly add the beaten eggs a little at a time while stirring with a fork. This should form a lot of lumps of various sizes. Don’t be concerned if there is a little excess flour left, since this will help thicken the soup.
4. Bring the soup to a boil and add the egg dumpling mixture while stirring and continue to simmer for ten additional minutes. The larger dumplings should float to the top.
5. Finally, add the milk or cream, the sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
==================
Serving Suggestions:
This is a hearty soup and we often ate it asthe main course with some fresh baked bread or rolls and maybe a few pickles on the side. You can serve this soup for lunch or with a grilled cheese sandwich for supper.
==================
POTATO SOUP
==================
When pumpkins weren't in season my mother made soup from potatoes which were always available. The biggest difference was that the sugar and cinnamon were eliminated. Surprizingly, the potato soup tasted quite a bit different.
------------------------------
I could simply tell you to follow the instructions for pumpkin soup with the revised ingredients but I prefer to provide the full recipe in case you don't like pumpkins and want to begin with the potato soup instead.
-------------------------------
The difficulty, preparation time and cooking time remains unchanged.
====================
Ingredients:
1 Lb. of Redskin Potatoes (Russets get too mushy)
1 Medium Onion
4 Cups of Whole Milk
20 Whole Allspice
1 Cup of Flour
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon of Salt
Black Pepper to Taste
==================
Cooking Instructions:
1. Peel the potatoes ad cut them into 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch by 1/4 inch thick slices.
2. Place the potatoes, onions, salt and allspice in a soup pot with six cups of cold water and simmer for about ten minutes until the the potatoes are almost done.
3. Next, place the flour in a large soup plate and slowly add the beaten eggs a little at a time while stirring with a fork. This should form a lot of lumps of various sizes.
4. Bring the soup to a simmer and add the egg dumpling mixture while stirring and continue cooking for ten additional minutes.
5. Finally, add the milk and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
================================
You could sprinkle chopped fresh chives on top if you have them.
Obviously, you could add pieces of ham, bacon or sausage to make a more filling version of this soup, but remember that my mother came from very humble beginnings and sometimes all that they had were potatoes, onions, milk and a couple of eggs.
=================================
Cream of Potato Soup with Bacon
Hungarian Dumplings - Galuska
Other Hubs About My Mother's Soups
- My Mother's Cooking - Homemade Soups (Chapter 8)
When my mother made soup, it was intended to be eaten as an entire meal. All of her soups were thick and contained either noodles, dumplings, rice or potatoes. Her meatless soups were made from vegetables that we grew in our own garden. Her chicken s - My Mother's Cooking - Chili Soup with Shell Noodles
My mother's soups were always hearty enough to serve as one-dish meals. Her recipe for chili soup is no exception. Made with ground beef, tomatoes, kidney beans, green peppers and shell noodles,it makes a complete meal. You can adjust the spicyness b - My Mother's Cooking - Beef Barley Soup
When my mother cooked beef barley soup she always started with meaty beef soup bones. Whenever possible, she used vegetables from her garden She added barley to turn the soup into a one-dish meal. This recipe is similar but it is updated for people w - My Mother's Cooking - Lentil Soup
When my mother made lentil soup, she started with a meaty beef soup bone and cooked it until the meat fell off of the bone. Today, with the availability of inexpensive beef stock, I use lean boneless beef and boxed beef broth. I like to also add some - My Mother's Cooking - Beet Soup
My mother grew up on a poor potato farm in Wisconsin. Almost all of her family's meals were meatless. They utilized what they could grow in their garden along with eggs and dairy products. This recipe for beet soup includes cream and allspice with ho - My Mother's Cooking - Homemade Chicken Soup
My mother made chicken soup a lot when I was growing up because my father loved it and because we raised our own chickens. The chicken simmered for hours until the meat was ready to fall off of the bone. The chicken pieces were then set aside to be s
How to Carve a Pumpkin.
North Central Wisconsin where my mother grew up on a poor potato farm.
