I’m a big pumpkin fan. All aspects of growing it, picking it & eating it appeal to me. Picking out pumpkins at a pumpkin patch has always been a fun fall activity for my family. We get our first pumpkins in time for Halloween, but the weeks between Halloween & Thanksgiving are when we make recipes using pumpkin.

This versatile gourd features flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins. Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years and are believed to have originated in North America. Six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins. (Antarctica is the only continent where they won’t grow.)  Currently, US farmers grow more than 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin each year. While we do make pies & breads with pumpkin, we also like to go off the beaten path with it!

Pumpkin Pie Martini Serves 2

• 3 shot glasses vodka
• 2 shot glasses cinnamon syrup (see below)
• 1 shot glass cream or half and half
• 2 heaping tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of ground cloves
• dash vanilla extract

Cinnamon Syrup:   Makes about 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar
4 sticks cinnamon, broken in half
½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Instructions for syrup:

Bring sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean and seeds, and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then boil for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar. Allow the mixture to cool then strain it into a clean container. Refrigerate the syrup for up to 3 months.

Pumpkin Pie Martini:  Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice on a small plate. Dip the rim of a chilled martini glass in water, then dip the glass in the sugar to coat.

In a martini shaker 1/2 filled with ice, combine the vodka, cinnamon syrup, half and half, pumpkin puree, nutmeg & vanilla extract.  Shake vigorously, then strain into the prepared glass.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple-Cranberry Relish   (adapted from Rachael Ray)
Total Time:  45 min  Prep:  20 min  Cook:  25 min  Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 fresh bay leaf
2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground thyme
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce, to taste
6 cups chicken or beef stock
36 ounces cooked pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Relish:
1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
1/4 red or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add the bay leaf, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies for 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add the flour, thyme and hot sauce (2 teaspoons will give it quite a kick. Go lighter if you don’t want that much spice in the soup. The relish also has a kick to it.) then cook the soup for a minute longer. Whisk in the chicken stock and bring the soup to a bubble.

Whisk in the pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes to thicken it a bit then add in the nutmeg. Remove the bay leaf from the soup and smooth the soup out with a wand blender. Reduce the heat to low and keep the soup warm until ready to serve.

While the soup cooks, assemble the relish. Combine the apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon in a small bowl and combine thoroughly.

Serve the soup in bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish on top of it. We enjoy it as a meal with some Apple Cheddar Quickbread.

Enjoy the ever versatile pumpkin!  ~Linda

Pumpkin Pie Martini Serves 2

• 3 shot glasses vodka
• 2 shot glasses cinnamon syrup (see below)
• 1 shot glass cream or half and half
• 2 heaping tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of ground cloves
• dash vanilla extract

Cinnamon Syrup:   Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
4 sticks cinnamon, broken in half
½ vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

Instructions for syrup:

Bring sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean and seeds, and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar. Allow the mixture to cool then strain it into a clean container. Refrigerate the syrup for up to 3 months.

Pumpkin Pie Martini:  Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice on a small plate. Dip the rim of a chilled martini glass in water, then dip the glass in the sugar to coat.

In a martini shaker 1/2 filled with ice, combine the vodka, cinnamon syrup, half and half, pumpkin puree, nutmeg & vanilla extract.  Shake vigorously, then strain into the prepared glass.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple-Cranberry Relish   (adapted from Rachael Ray)
Total Time:  45 min  Prep:  20 min  Cook:  25 min  Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 fresh bay leaf
2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground thyme
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce, to taste
6 cups chicken stock
36 ounces cooked pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Relish:
1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
1/4 red or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add the bay leaf, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies for 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add the flour, thyme and hot sauce (2 teaspoons will give it quite a kick. Go lighter if you don’t want that much spice in the soup. The relish also has a kick to it.) then cook the soup for a minute longer. Whisk in the chicken stock and bring the soup to a bubble. Whisk in the pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes to thicken it a bit then add in the nutmeg. Remove the bay leaf from the soup and smooth the soup out with a wand blender. Reduce the heat to low and keep the soup warm until ready to serve.

While the soup cooks, assemble the relish. Combine the apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon in a small bowl and combine thoroughly.

Serve the soup in bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish on top of it.