Elderly Care in Mercer Island, WA
The harvest season may have come to an end, but that does not mean that the love of all things pumpkin is over. Pumpkin is still a very popular flavor throughout the end of the year, and with all of the nutritional benefits that this gourd powerhouse offers, you should find as many ways as possible to integrate it into your elderly care routine with your aging loved ones.
One delicious way to use pumpkins is to create a rich, delicious, and satisfying pumpkin soup. Perfect for using up those adorable little sugar pumpkins that you likely have left over from centerpieces or maybe even sitting on the front porch for Halloween, this soup bakes right in the pumpkin for incomparable flavor and an impressive presentation.
If you are using a pumpkin that you have had around for a few weeks or that you have been keeping outside, make sure that you examine it extremely carefully before using it. Do not use a pumpkin that shows any signs of rotting, softening, molding, or pest activity as these will damage the safety of the pumpkin. Rinse the pumpkin thoroughly before getting started on the cooking process to ensure you remove any contaminants.
What You Will Need
- 1 whole baking pumpkin, at least 4 pounds. You can also make this recipe in two smaller pumpkins by equally distributing the ingredients into the 2-pound pumpkins
- 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 ounces of goat cheese
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth
- 1 small apple
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- A metal spoon or ice cream scoop
- A basting brush
- A sharp knife
- A round casserole dish
- An immersion blender
What to Do
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
- Using the sharp knife, create a lid on the top of the pumpkin, cutting around the stem at an angle of 45 degrees
- Make sure the opening is large enough to work in and cut larger if needed
- Remove the fibers and seeds with the metal spoon or the ice cream scoop
- Reserve the seeds, and toss the fibers
- Using the basting brush, brush the outside of the pumpkin and the lid with vegetable oil
- Oil the casserole dish
- Place the pumpkin inside the casserole dish
- Combine the onion, salt, butter, apples, broth, garlic, and heavy cream in the hollowed out pumpkin
- Replace the lid to the top of the pumpkin
- Place the pumpkin in the oven
- Bake the pumpkin for 1 and 1/2 hours
- Remove the lid
- Add the goat cheese and thyme to the pumpkin
- Without replacing the lid, bake for an additional 30 minutes
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven
- Gently scrape some of the flesh into the soup
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Mercer Island, WA, or the surrounding areas, please contact SYNERGY HomeCare of Bellevue at 425-462-5300.
