02-11-13-pumpkin-pepper-soup

Time to break out the canned pumpkin. I used up all the Fairytale Pumpkin months ago but still get a hankerin’ for it now and again.

Pumpkin is one of those fun foods that do anything… Pies cakes, cookies, soups, stews, breads, dinner rolls… you name it, pumpkin can do it. So tonight, I thought pumpkin should be a part of soup.

I started off with a whole chicken and cooked it off in a big pot of water and broth. It simmered away, making the house smell good, while my mind wandered about what to do when it was cooked.

I actually hadn’t thought pumpkin when I started, but when I opened the cabinet, there it was. A recipe was born.

I’ve made a goodly amount of pumpkin soups in the past, but I flashed on my Uncle Dick’s Jalapeño Pumpkin Soup because I had jalapeños in the ‘fridge. Unkie Dickie was my Aunt Kathleen’s husband. Born in Mazatlan of an Irish father and Mexican mother, my father called him his wetback brother-in-law. Needless to say, my father lacked a political correctness button, but it didn’t stop him from loving him like a brother. Victor and I had season tickets to the Giants with them – Unkie was a rabid Giants fan and was a docent at Candlestick and Pac Bell Parks.

I didn’t make his soup but I got to reminisce a bit about how much fun we used to have. I have lots of good memories.

So back to soup…

This became a throw-together soup. I just started building it and declared it finished after I had added a final can of diced green chilis.

Pumpkin Pepper Soup

  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 qt chicken stock
  • 1 can pumpkin
  • 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup whole grain brown rice
  • 1 cup roasted corn
  • 2 cups diced cooked chicken
  • 1 can diced greed chilis
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onion, peppers, and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add broth, pumpkin, and tomatoes, and bring to boil. Add rice and cook about 20 minutes.

Add beans, corn, chicken, and chilis, and continue cooking about 30 minutes. Check for seasoning and add S&P, as desired.

It wasn’t as spicy and Uncle Dick’s, but it definitely hit the spot. And it got us talking about all those baseball games we shared…

And that was a good thing…