THE GREAT PUMPKIN SOUP

First, a word about choosing pumpkins...

Many of us are not accustomed to cooking with fresh pumpkin, and only know how to select for a good jack o'lantern (big and weird). But the huge ones that we love to carve don't have the best flavor.

In this excellent, nourishing fall soup, pumpkin is the main ingredient, so find a good one. Choose one of the small varieties - a sweet mama, or a pie pumpkin. If you're shopping at a farmer's market, or a pumpkin patch, ask the grower. They love to share what they know.

Then, if you still feel uncertain, use the foolproof method - taste it. When you've opened your pumpkin, cut off a thin slice and taste it raw, or microwave a small piece, sprinkle it with some salt, and taste it cooked. It should have a pleasant, distinct flavor, not bitter, and a nice bright color. Don't expect it to taste like pumpkin pie, but it might have just an edge of natural sweetness.

Once you get accustomed to choosing and cooking fresh pumpkin, you might get hooked - next you'll be making stuffed pumpkins, and pumpkin butter to give away for Christmas.

2 medium potatoes (about 1 lb.)
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
2 large leeks, sliced (white and light green part)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
8 cups cubed fresh pumpkin (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 12 oz.)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 1/2 cups cooked cannelini, or great northern white beans
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, more if needed
2-3 Tbs. brown sugar, as needed
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

garnishes:
crumbled feta cheese
hulled, toasted pumpkin seeds

Peel the potatoes and cut them in 1/2" dice. Put them in a large soup pot with about four cups water and some salt, and start them simmering.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan and gently sauté the leeks and onion in it, with a sprinkle of salt, until they are soft and beginning to turn amber. Meanwhile, prepare your pumpkin, scraping it out well, peeling it, and cutting it into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Add the onions and leeks to the pot, along with the pumpkin and the vegetable broth, and more salt if it is needed.

Simmer the soup for about ten minutes, while you slice the chard off its thick stems and cut it in strips or large pieces. Coarsely chop the cilantro.

Add the chard and cilantro to the soup and simmer another 20 to 30 minutes. The pumpkin will become very tender, and some of it will fall apart, thickening the broth and imparting its lovely orangey-gold color. Add the cooked cannelini.

Taste the soup, and season it. Add some lemon juice, and a little brown sugar (if the pumpkin itself is not too sweet), and a pinch or two of salt to bring about the right sweet-tart balance. Grind in some fresh pepper, and add the nutmeg. Stir and simmer for a moment, taste again, and adjust. The amount of lemon juice and brown sugar will vary with the type of pumpkin.

Serve the soup hot, in deep bowls. Over each serving, sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese, and a few toasted pumpkin seeds.

About 10 servings.