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Monday, September 21, 2020

Fall Harvest Chowder #PumpkinWeek

This chunky, vegetable packed chowder is made extra creamy with the addition of pumpkin puree.  It is one delicious bite of goodness after the other.  A perfect way to enjoy all of the end of season produce before it is gone.

Fall Harvest Chowder

Welcome to the first day of Pumpkin Week 2020......
Each year Terri of Love and Confections invites us to join her in celebrating our favorite fall fruit, the pumpkin.  

Yes, though we think of pumpkin as a vegetable, scientists say that it is a fruit.....along with tomatoes, avocados and all other species of squash.  According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica:
"Fruit, in its strict botanical sense, [is] the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds."

And we all know and love the seeds that make us recognize that this lovely squash is a fruit and not a vegetable as we have been led to believe all of our lives.

So, wait a minute, what about beans and cucumbers?  Yep...fruits that we have been lied to about for years!!!

So let's take a look at what the folks in the group made out of this fruit today....... 

Drink Recipes

Breakfast and Baked Goods

Savory Recipes

Dessert Recipes


This year, many of us have had trouble finding canned pumpkin puree at the grocers.  They say that this has been true for the last few years and is the result of climate change.  Evidently only certain kinds of pumpkin is used for commercial canning.

pumpkin collage

Luckily, you don't have to buy pumpkin puree in a can to enjoy it's goodness.  There are still lots of pumpkins available from local farmers, farmer's markets, csa's, and grocers.  Making pumpkin puree is easy peasy.  I tell you how in this post from Pumpkin Week 2017.

pumpkin seeds

Another great reason to make your own pumpkin puree is that you get left with all of those wonderful seeds that toast up to make a great treat.  I have two pumpkin seed recipes that I have shared here on the blog one is for Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds and the other is for Butter Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Now that we have that problem resolved and you can make all of the great recipes being shared this week, let me recommend that you start off with this chowder while you can still find a few ears of sweet corn at your farmer's market.

vegetables

This was part of the bounty that I got from my CSA last week.  All those wonderful fall flavors were screaming to me to make a soup.  We cannot go through corn season without having it several times a week.  If it were up to my husband we would eat it several times every day.  Every year he requests that I make my corn chowder and I am, of course, happy to comply.

This year I decided to add some additional elements to my chowder, including some of that pumpkin puree of which I was speaking.

chopped vegetables

So I took all of those fresh vegetables and sauteed them in butter until they were crisp tender and then I added some pumpkin puree, light cream and chicken broth to create this healthy and delicious soup that was a huge hit when served as a first course when Frank's brother and his wife joined us for dinner.

Fall Harvest Chowder pin

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the soup in bowls as I served it, but just picture in your mind how colorful and lovely it looked when plated.  

I will be back each day this week with a different pumpkin recipe so make sure you stop by and see what we are all cooking up for you.


Soup, Chowder, Harvest, Vegetables, First Courses
Soup
American
Yield: 10 servings
Author: Wendy Klik
Print
Fall Harvest Chowder

Fall Harvest Chowder

As the days become chillier and the fall harvest comes in from the field into your kitchen you are going to want to make up this amazing chowder that will warm and soothe you after a hard day's work.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients:

  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 lg. carrots, scraped and sliced
  • 3 stalks celery, cleaned and sliced
  • 4 small russet potatoes, peeled and dices
  • Kernels from 6 ears of sweet corn
  • 3 T. flour
  • 2 c. pumpkin puree
  • 1 t. dried thyme
  • 1 t. dried basil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 c. chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 c. light cream

Instructions:

  1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over med high heat.  Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or so, until onion is translucent.
  2. Mix in the potatoes and corn.  Add the thyme and basil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with the flour and stir to coat.
  3. Add the pumpkin puree and chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.   Stir in the cream and warm gently to serve.

Calories

240.72

Fat (grams)

10.77

Sat. Fat (grams)

5.48

Carbs (grams)

32.47

Fiber (grams)

4.56

Net carbs

27.91

Sugar (grams)

7.24

Protein (grams)

6.49

Sodium (milligrams)

168.57

Cholesterol (grams)

28.79
Created using The Recipes Generator

23 comments:

  1. I love all things pumpkin and this is perfectly timed for our soup season is starting soon.

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  2. This looks like such a creamy and delicious fall soup!

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  3. Soup season is my very favorite season! I have never added pumpkin. So smart!

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  4. My kind of soup to warm a chilly fall day!

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  5. I’m dying for all the flavor here. I can’t wait to make this.

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  6. This looks amazing - chock full of good stuff and so cozy. I love that it's soup weather again (well, some of the time... Georgia hasn't made up it's mind quite yet about it being fall).

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    1. It has gone down to freezing some nights here in Michigan Rebekah but the days are perfect.

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  7. I have everything on hand to make this recipe and I already know my whole family will love this chowder! It looks comforting and delicious!!

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  8. I'm reading your pumpkin posts backwards this morning. I don't know which one I want to make first. Maybe this one!

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  9. I love the corn and the pumpkin in this recipe! This sounds so delicious!

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  10. Chowders are always so comforting and perfect for cooler weather.

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    Replies
    1. I agree Chris and this makes use of all those late harvest vegetables.

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