Image by JCarrot

Here is part 2 of Chef Laura’s Italian Rosh Hashanah menu. Part one – an apple cake with apple cider honey zabaglione. Yes, yes, we’re featuring two soup recipes in a row on The Jew & The Carrot – but what is fall without an abundance of warm, creamy soups?!

Autumn in Tuscany looks a lot like the neighborhood pumpkin patch I remember visiting when I was a kid – with pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors piled high. This versatile vegetable stores well for winter, is easily canned and is frequently featured in savory dishes. And this luxuriously textured soup is a perfect example of cucina povera, which is the practice of using what is readily available and seasonal.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Btai Avon!

Crema di Zucca

8 servings

Extra Virgin olive oil

7 cups plus 1-cup vegetable stock (See recipe, page)

1 oz. dried Porcini mushrooms

1 7 pound pumpkin, about 5 cups peeled and diced pumpkin (look for Sugar Pumpkin) or 3 cups canned pumpkin puree

12 Cipollini onions, peeled and cut in quarters

1 t. freshly grated nutmeg

1 medium head Savoy cabbage, very thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Toasted pumpkin seeds and Amaretti crumbs for garnish

1) Place the one cup of vegetable stock in a small saucepan with the dried porcini mushrooms. Bring to simmer. Turn off the heat and set aside.

2) Brown the diced pumpkin if using in batches in a large sauté pan lightly coated with olive oil. Be sure to season each batch with salt and pepper. Transfer the pumpkin to a stock pot.

3) Brown the cipollini onions in the same pan adding more olive oil if necessary until they are completely browned. Transfer the onions to the stock pot.

4) Add the stock, porcini mushrooms, soaking liquid and nutmeg to the stock pot. Cover and cook on low heat until the pumpkin is very soft. Puree the pumpkin in batches or with an immersion blender adding more liquid if necessary.

5) Add the cabbage and simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Garnish with amaretti crumbs right before serving.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount