Out of Season - Yet In Style

This week in the Cafe, I've brought back my pumpkin soup to be our "seasonal soup". Several customers over the past weekend had remarked that they couldn't wait until fall when pumpkin would be back in season. So, that got me thinking.... people do "Christmas in July" why couldn't I do pumpkin soup in the spring? Now, we have certain dishes we love that we associate with either a certain time of year or for certain holidays. For me, apples have always meant fall; watermelon was only for summer (for that matter so are Gin and tonics!); veal paprikash is for winter; chicken and asparagus are for spring. Mostly, these associations are directly related to when ingredients are in season. However, more and more products are being grown year round in warmer climates, making a lot of "seasonal food" always available. So, while I don't think that I'll be regularly serving a heavy stew in the heat of summer or a light fruit salad in the middle of winter, you may just find a gem from seasons past popping up in my kitchen every now and then. And, with so many of you having asked, listed below is my recipe for pumpkin soup - to enjoy ANY time you want! Pumpkin Soup 2 lbs large vidalia onions, sliced thin 1 lb carrots sliced thin 1 lb celery sliced thin 4 tbs unsalted butter 1 tbs dried sage 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp all spice 1 tsp clove 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 28 oz cans pure pumkin puree 8-10 cups chicken stock Melt butter in large sauce pan over a medium-low flame Add carrots, onions & celery and sweat covered for 20 minutes Add dried spices and combine well, cover and let cook for another 15 minutes Stir in brown sugar and cook for another 10 minutes Add pumpkin, mix well and remove from heat and let cool for fifteen minutes In the blender, fill half chicken stock and half with pumpkin mixture and puree in batches and return to pot. Once all pumpkin is pureed, heat over low flame and rewarm. Garnish with a sprinkle of dried powdered cloves