Cuban Cream of Pumpkin Soup &
Garlic Soup

__________________________________________________

            FOOD FUNNY
__________________________________________________

Here's a good one from Ron Stough:

A company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hires a new CEO. This new
boss is determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the
facilities, the CEO notices a guy leaning on a wall. The room is full of
workers and he wants to let them know he means business. The CEO walks
up to the guy and asks, "And how much money do you make a week?"

Undaunted, the young fellow looks at him and replies, "I make $300.00 a
week. Why?"

The CEO then hands the guy $300 in cash and screams, "Here's a week's
pay, now GET OUT and don't come back!"

Feeling pretty good about his first firing, the CEO looks around the
room and asks "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-off did here?"

With a sheepish grin, one of the other workers mutters, "He's the pizza
delivery guy."

__________________________________________________

            TODAY'S RECIPES
__________________________________________________

The West Indian pumpkin looks more like a large, round gourd
than the bright orange squash we carve at Halloween, and they
are becoming more available in American supermarkets these
days. If they aren't available in your area, substitute a butternut
or Hubbard squash instead.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup (Sopa de Calabaza)

3 Tbs (45 ml) olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 lbs (900 g) West Indian pumpkin or similar squash,
peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
4 cups (1 L) chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup (250 ml) half-and-half or milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
1-2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot over moderate heat and saute the
onion and garlic until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the pumpkin and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat
and simmer covered until the pumpkin is tender, about 30 minutes.
Puree the soup in batches in an electric blender or food processor
and return to the pot. Stir in the half-and-half, salt, pepper, and
optional cayenne and heat until simmering. Serve garnished with
sliced hard-cooked eggs. Serves 4 to 6.

**************************************************************

Soups similar to this are popular all around the Mediterranean,
and this one vouches for the influence of Spanish cooking in
the Cuban kitchen.

Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajos)

4 Tbs (60 ml) olive oil
8-12 cloves garlic, mashed into a paste with some salt
6 cups (1.5 L) chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4-6 eggs
4-6 thick slices day-old or lightly toasted Cuban, French, or Italian bread
Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot over moderate heat and saute the garlic
until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, salt, and pepper and
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently drop the eggs into the soup.
Simmer uncovered until the eggs are poached to the degree you prefer, 4
to 10 minutes. Place a slice of bread in each serving bowl and ladle the
soup over it. Place a poached egg in the center of each bowl and garnish
with chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Mar 20 08:02:50 2007