NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

October 22, 1998

Prairie Fare: The Ambience of Darkness

I have a lot of fond childhood memories about Halloween, but a particular one involves our evening meal, which we'd eat without the benefit of electric light. Dad was less than enthusiastic about not being able to eyeball more clearly what he was putting into his mouth, but he always went along with the idea. I think Mom created this atmosphere to get me in the mood for trick-or-treating, which is only one of the Americanized customs associated with this Scottish-Irish festival held on All Hallows Eve.

Encyclopedias say elements of customs connected with Halloween are traceable to a Druid ceremony in pre-Christian times. The Celts held festivals to honor two gods, one of which was Samhain, the god of the dead. This celebration, held on Nov. 1, coincided with the Celtic New Year. Some time during the 9th century, a feast honoring all saints (All Hallows) was fixed on Nov. 1, which meant of course that All Hallows Eve then fell on Oct. 31.

Carving jack-o'-lanterns from pumpkins is another Americanized Halloween custom, perpetuated by the Irish and Scots who came to America. Back in their homeland they carved turnips. Go figure.

Can you imagine the culinary void we'd have today if Celtic immigrants in America had continued hacking away at turnips? Demand for pumpkin pie probably wouldn't have been great enough to keep commercial pumpkin producers in business. Pumpkin supplies would have dried up, and the bounty of pumpkin recipes we enjoy today never would have materialized.

So, as dusk approaches this year on Saturday, Oct. 31, get your soup caldron filled with the recipe that follows and then stir up some excitement for the young at heart in your home: turn off the lights and eat your meal by candlelight. And then, celebrate the fact that some traditions are no longer etched in turnips.

Smoky Pumpkin Soup
Adapted from a recipe appearing on the Web site SOARthe Searchable Online Archive of Recipes, University of California, Berkeley (http://soar.Berkeley.EDU/recipes/)
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
¼ cup bacon drippings/melted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups hot low-fat chicken broth
1 29-ounce can of pumpkin
½ cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
½ teaspoon nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

Cook bacon, dice and set aside. Measure ¼ cup of drippings, or use available drippings plus enough melted butter to equal ¼ cup. Place drippings or drippings-butter combination in a large saucepan and add the flour. Cook roux for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add hot broth to roux and whisk together. Add pumpkin, wine and seasonings and bring mixture to a slow simmer. Reduce heat slightly and continue cooking for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bacon, and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Readjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve garnished with pumpkin seeds if desired. Makes a nice accompaniment for grilled Swiss cheese sandwiches (use pumpernickel bread).

What's Your Take on This, Julie?

There's a reason jack-o'-lanterns are grinning. They probably know how nutritious they are, and they've escaped being eaten.

A half-cup of mashed pumpkin contains 24 calories and only a trace of fat, plus ample beta carotene. In fact, most deep orange, gold or dark green vegetables are an abundant source of carotenoids, which the body can convert to vitamin A. We need this vitamin for healthy skin and eyes.

Along with being a medium for artists, pumpkin can be used in a variety of recipes—even the pumpkin seeds, which make excellent snacks if soaked in salt water (3 tablespoons of salt per 1 1/3 cups water) for 12 to 24 hours, drained and then oven-roasted at 350 F for about 25 minutes.

A serving of this hearty pumpkin soup contains 200 calories, 11.5 grams of fat, more than a full day's supply of vitamin A as beta carotene and 6 grams of fiber. According to nutrition labeling laws, this soup would qualify as "high fiber," meaning it contains at least 5 grams of fiber per serving.

Most of us fall short of the recommendation for 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day. Fiber is classified as insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber, or "roughage," is known as nature's broom. It usually gives a grainy, coarse texture to food. Eating adequate insoluble fiber can help prevent constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis, which is the formation of small sacs or pouches on the large intestine. Insoluble fiber also may help reduce colon cancer risk because it moves waste products quickly through the colon.

Soluble fiber dissolves to become gummy or viscous. Researchers have shown that soluble fiber, particularly oat fiber, can help decrease blood cholesterol. This heart-healthy fiber is also found in apples, in the form of pectin.

Eating whole-grain cereals and plenty of fruits and vegetables—at least five servings a day—can help you reach the daily fiber goal. But remember to slowly increase your fiber intake to avoid some gastrointestinal consequences (like gas).

So to celebrate Halloween and a healthier lifestyle, carve ghoulish grins in some of your pumpkins this fall, but also make a cauldron of pumpkin soup and watch it disappear.

###

Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 and Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

Click here for a pdf version of this graphic.