1 (8-10 pound) Cinderella Pumpkin
1 stick butter
Salt
3 green onions, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
6 slices French bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground dried sage
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Ground black pepper
2 cups shredded gruyere cheese (or your favorite cheese)
4-5 cups really good chicken stock (homemade if possible)
2 bay leaves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut off top of pumpkin, making a lid about 4 inches in diameter. Set it aside. Using a large metal spoon, scoop out seeds and strings (making sure not to cut into the wall of the pumpkin). Rub the cut side of the lid and inside of the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon of the butter (softened for easy spreading). Season the lid and inside of the pumpkin with a little salt and place the pumpkin, cut side up, in a good looking deep baking dish or pan that you can bring to the table. Set the lid aside.
In a skillet, melt the remaining 7 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the green onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the toasted croutons and sprinkle them with the sage, nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper. Stir well and remove from the heat.
Spoon a layer of the seasoned croutons into the pumpkin. Sprinkle a layer of your favorite cheese on top of them. Repeat the layers until you have used up all the croutons and cheese. Pour in the stock to within 1 inch of the rim. Place the bay leaves on top and then fit the lid onto the pumpkin.
Bake until the pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and the stock bubbles on the inside. Bake from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Remove the bay leaves if you can see them.
With a long-handled spoon, gently scrape the flesh from the bottom and sides of the pumpkin into the soup, being careful not to puncture the walls. Gently dig deep, including tender chunks of pumpkin flesh with each serving. Ladle into warmed bowls. A dollop sour cream is a nice touch on top of each serving.
This is such a yummy recipe and fun to serve. Just make sure the pumpkin you choose has a thick skin - that's why a Cinderella type pumpkin is preferred.
This recipe is shared October 17-21, 2011
on NewsTalk 94.3 FM, AM 570 WKYX, AM 1560 WPAD,
AM 1450 WDXR, and AM 1320 WNGO.
Ro's recipes are sponsored by SuperValu Foods
on Jackson Street and on Lone Oak Road in Paducah, KY.
Check out more recipes online at: www.supervalupaducah.com
