The abundance of leftover pumpkins during the late Autumn season leads us to get creative with recipes. The next two weeks will showcase home cooks in Southern Maine that are using the perennial favorite.

Our journey to showcase the best of home cooking has lead us to the home of Mark Simmons in Kennebunkport. Mark is a stay-at-home Dad and Massage Therapy student. His increased awareness of nutrition, brought about by his current schooling, and the connection of fresh food to good health, has led Mark to experiment more with seasonal ingredients.

Mark has developed a “Fall Pumpkin Soup” that he has tried out on his family. He states that he knew it was a hit when his 2 and 5 year-old daughters asked for seconds. They marveled in turning their home-grown pumpkins into something other than Jack-o-Lanterns.

He asked me to sample the soup and explained that it packs a nutritional punch. 1 cup provides 16% of your daily fiber and 14% of your daily needs for protein. The color is a beautiful sunset yellow. It is creamy, thick and hearty – perfect as a meal for lunch or supper. There is a depth of flavor that comes from the sautéed onions, home-brewed beer, and from the pumpkin itself. I found myself scraping the bottom of my cup for more. He accents the soup with a condiment of chopped cilantro and a sprinkling of chili powder. Mark concedes that the spices are not local, but that they “lend a flavor to the soup that make it special and gourmet.”

He recommends the soup with a green salad topped by a good vinaigrette. I couldn’t agree more.

Mark Simmons, FALL PUMPKIN SOUP:

2 Medium sized pumpkins, seeded, and cut into 2 inch chunks. Two cans of Pumpkin puree, unsweetened, can be used.
1 Medium sweet onion, diced – about 1 ½ cups
¾ stick salted butter
1c. Home-brewed beer – a store bought Brown or Pale ale will be fine too.
1 Can evaporated milk – standard size
4 c. Chicken or Veg Stock (You can make it for Meat or Veggie lovers)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 c. Minced Cilantro
Chili powder

In a steamer basket on the stove or microwave, steam pumpkin cubes until soft, about 35-40 minutes. Scrape flesh and mash lightly when done. Set aside in bowl.
Meanwhile while pumpkin is steaming, sautee onion until slightly brown but not caramelized in stockpot on stove with butter. Add a few shakes of Salt and pepper. Add beer and reduce to about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add pumpkin, stir to combine and cook 5 minutes more over low heat. Add Evaporated milk, and chicken stock, as well as 1 more shake of salt and pepper. Keep heat on low and cook to combine flavors 15-20minutes more. Make sure it does not get to thick – if thickens too much, turn of heat. Soup will be slightly chunky. Use stick blender to puree if smoother consistency is desired. Serve with sprinkle of cilantro and chili powder. Serves 8 adults as 1st course. Freezes well for 3 months.