Did you know? Pumpkin has a long history of culinary splendor, showing up in ancient Rome on the table of Lucius Licinius Lucullus some 100 BC. To this day pumpkin is an important ingredient in Arabic kitchen and traditional medicine.

Some popular uses include: marmalades, soups, jam, salads, and of course Halloween jackolantern...

Not sure what to do with your carved out Halloween pumkin? Here's a great use, 2 for 1: soup and snack.

Recipe for a large soup
(pumkin makes a lot).

Ingredients for soup for the whole family (adjust quantities if you do not plan to make a whole pumpkin - you may dice pumpkin and freeze for later use):

• Pumkin
• Chicken - bones, wings, legs, or whatever. (Optional but desireable - frozen leftovers from Thanksgiving?) - Meat is optional.
• Celery root, whole, fresh, or several dried slices
• Carrot, 2-5
• Onion
• Cream

Boil chicken (turkey, or bones), celery, onion, parsley root, carrots in 4-5 L of water. When done, remove onion and chicken. Blend everything else untill fairly smooth (this will provide nice texture).

Peel pumpkin, dice, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil for several minutes (5-10). Blend till fairly smooth.

Mix with chicken broth.

You may want to add more vegetables to chicken broth and blend them to make thick but drinkable soup (use whatever's on hand: cauliflower, corn, green beans, etc - frozen veggies are fine), or serve with chunky veggies and pasta.

Add salt, pepper, to taste.

Add 2 Tbsp of cream per dish to taste (optional).

Chicken is good hot or cold.

Alternative recipe

Small pumpkin soup

Ingredients

• 3 cups of diced pumpkin
• 3 cups of vegetable broth (see above)
• 1 cup of green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup of parsley root, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• basil
• cream

Boil pumpkin in 2 cups of vegetable broth. Fry pepper and parsley until soft. Mix remaining 1 cup of broth with a cup of cream; add to pumpkin. Blend coarsley. Sprinkle with fresh basel and serve.

Ingredients for a healthy and delicious snack:

• Pumpkin seeds (do not peel).

Spread seeds on a baking pan, sprinkle with salt and bake for about 5 minutes at 300F, or until brown and crispy (watch your oven - not all ovens are equal do not burn).

Snack (do not peel).