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SPOOKY SOUP AND WINE THAT'S FINE
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Fall is more than the new NBC line-up and Football. It’s a great time of year to try your hand at those fall dishes like Martha Stewart talk about - and it is a great way to expand your wine list. Some people have the theory of white wine during the warmer seasons and red during the cold seasons. Well folks, news flash, the season has no bearing on grape variety. The season however, has a lot to do with the food you might be fixing to pair with said wine. Fall is the time for stews, chili’s, soups and a plethora of squash varieties or complicated Martha Stewart dishes that look SO easy on TV.
A very popular fall dish (can also be served while watching a football game) is Pumpkin soup. This time of year pinning down a pumpkin shouldn't be that difficult. Farm markets in DC, MD and VA offer several varieties perfect for cooking. Even the grocery stores have gotten into the act! There are a million pumpkin soup recipes floating around the internet – and they’re all easy to whip up (even Martha Stewart's recipe isn't scary to create). Pumpkin soup is a hearty, creamy dish best paired with a wine that isn't too "wimpy" i.e. Pinot Grigio - or "minerally" i.e. Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling. A nice Chardonnay with slight oak hints is quite marvelous with this soup. As long as the oak flavors are not too overpowering. On the red side, a earthy Pinot Noir would be a nice match – one preferably without an insane overpowering cherry presence. If the pumpkin is roasted, a Sangiovese is a nice partner for this soup. Believe it or not, roasting makes it a whole different ball game when pairing with wine. Carmenere, depending on the producer works well with this dish - not too spicy, but a nice combination which brings the flavors out in the soup.
Pumpkin Soup ( if you were Martha you would serve the soup in a Pumpkin)
Ingredients:
6 cups of chicken broth
2 to 3 cups pared pumpkin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes -- or a large can will do.
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
5 peppercorns (yes 5 single peppercorn balls)
1/2 cup whipping cream, warmed
1 teaspoon snipped fresh parsley
Directions:
In a covered saucepan, heat all ingredients except cream and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.
If using fresh pumpkin, remove 1/2 cup of the pumpkin with a slotted spoon:reserve. Simmer remaining pumpkin mixture, uncovered 20 minutes longer. If using canned pumpkin - don't remove 1/2 cup of pumpkin.
If using fresh pumpkin, remove 2 cups of the pumpkin mixture in blender or food processor; return pureed mixture to pot. Repeat with remaining pumpkin mixture. If using canned pumpkin, puree mixture and don't worry about removing any mixture (as long as your pot is large enough). Heat pureed mixture to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir warm cream and reserved pumpkin (if you used real pumpkin) into soup. Garnish with parsley.
Serve hot in bowls -- or to be super cool and festive serve in hollowed out sugar pumpkin which has been warmed for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven.
Pick up a pumpkin (squash is good too) put some Warren Zevon on and crack open a bottle of pumpkin - friendly wine that will put you in the mood to go howl at the moon.
For more info: Great local places to buy pumpkins and more : Butler's Orchard in Germantown, MD. Check site for daily picking shedule. Homestead Farm located in Poolesville, MD open May - October Daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - November Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. - December Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Comus Market located on the same street at Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard in Dickerson, MD. Check out the site for seasonal hours. A few favorite pumpkin pickin' locations. Local grocery stores also carry pumpkins - typically at a resonable price.
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