It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a 1966 American prime time animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.

And this is the pumpkin patch behind my parents house in Austria. Pumpkins, more than other seasonal fruits and veggies play an important in rural live. Both, folkloric and economical. But either way, pumpkins when other fields are already harvested and are laying bare, are still projecting their colors. Almost like somebody has forgotten ….

And if you remember, a few weeks ago I took some pictures of the autumn season at the Beqaa Valley …..

Pretty aren’t they.

So, then ,,, 

Let’s get cooking then …

Kürbis-Erdäpfel Gulasch

Pumpkin & Potato Gulyás

Ingredients

• 1 kg Pumpkin (with seeds)

• 2 boiled potatoes

• 1 leek stalk

• 1/2 teasp Caraway seeds

• 1 teasp Coriander seeds

• a few white peppercorn

• 3 tblsp Butter

• ¾ l – 1 l Chicken or vegetable stock

• Salt

• 125 g Fresh cream

• 1 tblsp Chopped parsley

• a few leaves of fresh thyme

Method

•      Peel the pumpkin

•      Take out the seeds thoroughly rinse and dry, put aside for later

•      Cut the pumpkin into large pieces

•      Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes

•      Clean the leek and cut into stripes (Juliennes).

•      Grind the caraway-, coriander-seeds and peppercorns in a spice mill

•      Sweat the leek in 2 tblsp of butter

•      Add the pumpkin, potato and spices sauté

•      Sauté for a minute, cover and cook over low heat for about 15 min

•      Add the hot (!) stock, bring to a boil and continue cooking for about 25 on LOW heat.

•      Puree about 1/3 of the soup (or all of it if you prefer)

•      Sauté the pumpkinseed in 1 tblsp of butter until golden and crispy

•      Salt the pumpkinseed lightly

•      Whip the cream

•      Taste soup and season if needed

•      Plate in your favorite soup bowl or plate

•      Add a dollop of cream

•      Garnish with the pumpkin seeds and herbs

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