Unseasonably warm weather be damned, Thanksgiving panic has gripped New York City. An innocent trip to Whole Foods yesterday afternoon almost turned ugly when one crazed, 200 item-list-clutching-shopper and I reached for the same bag of fresh cranberries. There was fire in her eyes, so I backed off. Nothing good can come from standing between a cook with a deadline and her fresh cranberry chutney.
Besides, my cranberries are destined to sit in the fridge well past next week’s festivities. My only mission on this Whole Foods voyage was of the pumpkin variety; for dinner most definitely, and for next week’s pumpkin pie as well.
You may recall last year’s bourbon pumpkin cheesecake, which, in classic style, I left until the last minute and had no choice but to make using pumpkin from a can. This year, demonstrating more forethought than ever before, I now have containers of pumpkin puree that I made last night stashed in the freezer, ready for their debut on the Thanksgiving table (click here for my new “techniques” section entry on how to do this yourself).
More importantly, I had enough pumpkin left over to make this velvety and satisfying soup for dinner. The recipe belongs to Brian’s Aunt Karen, who makes it each year as the precursor to his family’s Thanksgiving feast. The broth is more fluid than what you’d normally think of for a squash soup, owing to the large chicken broth to pumpkin puree ratio. The addition of French lentils makes it just hearty enough for a light dinner, which is exactly how we enjoyed it.
Pumpkin Lentil Soup
Adapted from Aunt Karen’s recipe
I just created a new page on the site called Techniques Tips and Other Topics, and the inaugural entry is about making your own pumpkin and squash purees. Please click here to read about how to do this at home.
3/4 cup French lentils (or other lentils)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)
2 large onions, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
45 oz. chicken stock (plus approx. 8 oz. more for reheating)
1/4 tsp margoram (fresh is best, dried and crushed also works)
1/8 tsp thyme (fresh is best, dried and crushed also works)
1/8 tsp black pepper
18 oz. pumpkin puree (or 15 oz. if using canned)
dash of Tobasco sauce, plus more for serving
Soak lentils in a bowl of cold water while you melt butter and chop/cook onions. Place butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat to melt, then add chopped onions, stir to coat with butter, and cook the onions over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are shiny and translucent, add the lentils and chicken stock. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil. When the stock boils, add the pumpkin puree and herbs and stir until completely integrated. Simmer on medium low for an hour and a half, stirring every ten to fifteen minutes. Add additional chicken stock if the broth gets too thick (you may also use water). Finish with pepper and dash of Tabasco to taste. Serve with Tabasco.
If making the soup in advance, keep some extra chicken stock on hand to dilute the broth during the reheating process if necessary.
