Monday, October 24, 2005

The many uses of pumpkin....

Since we had some more pumpkin to use up and I knew I was going to be making soup tonight, I wanted to find a fun and different bread to make. I came across this recipe last month and pulled it out of the recipe pile to try.

Pumpkin-Walnut Focaccia with Gruyère takes a bit of time to make as it requires 3 different rises but makes plenty so you can freeze the other loaf. This bread was so worth the effort. This is not your traditional foccacia/flatbread type with dimples. I think the recipe name is a little misleading. It has a sweet subtle pumpkin flavor while being slightly chewy and dense. Next time I would increase the cheese amount, I could tell it was there but it could take on more flavor without overpowering the bread.

The bread paired very well with tonight's Creamy Tomato-Balsamic Soup. Roasting the tomatoes, onions and garlic with the other ingredients brought such a depth of flavor to this dish. It has such simple flavors that stand out in each creamy bite. Perfect comfort food on a chilly evening. Grilled cheese would also go so well with this (thinking ahead for the leftovers!)

Recipes

8 comments:

  1. We had that soup last night and really liked it. Did you strain it or leave it with the solids in it? We had it with grilled cheese and it was great, but next time we may have to try that fococcia.

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  2. Oh, yum...with the temps finally dropping (the furnace kicked on!), I've had soup on my mind the past few days. This looks great.

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  3. mmmmmh, what a wonderful looking pairing. Definitely on my list.

    It definitely is soup weather up here in Toronto. It's 8C/42F going down to 4degreesC/39F. Something you're probably unfamiliar with in Phoenix.

    Thanks for sharing

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  4. We had that soup a couple weeks ago and I really liked it, a lot! Somewhat surprising since I had never liked tomato soup much in the past, although I had only ever tried it from a can before.

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  5. Both recipes today look great!! And with so many good reviews on the pumpkin foccacia I may end up trying it myself! Do you think making half-recipe would work? (I know I will like it, but am not sure about my husband...)

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  6. MMMMM! Looks delish, as usual, Joe!! I was wondering about that focaccia in last month's CL. Will have to give it a try! Your puppy is adorable too!
    Val

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  7. Punky - We didn't strain but there was not much solids left after we pureed in the blender.

    Stephanie - No turnin' on the furnace anytime soon here!

    Ruth - It actually does get that cold in the early mornings in the winter time. Last year we had a couple of soft freezes!

    Chole - They go so well together don't they?

    Alice - I was suprised I liked it as much as I did too. It was very good!

    Ana - You could try it but I do not usually half bread recipes as I don't know how it will end up (I guess I should try!)

    Thanks Val!

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  8. I think I'll make this soup. I adore tomato soup, but I hate fresh tomatoes.

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