Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • One  2-pound cheese pumpkin or any orange-flesh pumpkin
  • Non-aerosol cooking spray
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice 
  • ½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
  • 6 cups stock or bone broth
  • 1 inch ginger
  • sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • crushed
  • 1 small onion
  • halved 
  • ¾ cup crème fraiche
  • sour cream or heavy cream
  • optional
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 clove crushed garlic
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  •  Sliced peasant or sesame Italian bread 
  • 1 cup prepared olive salad (Rach like's Central Grocery)
  • or 1 cup giardiniera
  • drained
  • and 1 cup green olives
  • pitted
  • 2 red field or bell peppers  
  • ¾ pound deli-sliced provolone
  • 1 pound total combined: prosciutto cotto
  • mortadella with pistachios
  • salami
  • capicola 

Instruction

  • For the Pumpkin Soup, preheat oven to 425˚F
  • Halve pumpkin with a serrated knife and scoop out fibrous material, rinse and toast seeds if you like texture and taste of them
  •  Spray the pumpkin and season liberally: salt, pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and paprika
  •  Roast cut-side down 35 to 40 minutes to tender, let stand to cool, scoop all flesh into food processor and puree
  • Heat stock and 2 cups water to boil with ginger, bay, garlic, and onion, reduce by ⅓ at low bubble, then remove from heat, strain, return to pot and whisk in puree and, if using, the cream
  •   For the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, in small pot or skillet, heat oil, garlic and butter at low bubble to infuse flavor
  •   Paint 1 side of 8 slices of bread
  •  Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat
  • If making olive salad, combine giardiniera and olives in processor and pulse to combine and finely chop
  •    Char peppers under broiler or over open flame, cover and cool, peel, seed and stem, then slice
  • Make sandwich: butter-side out bread brushed with garlic butter mixture, olive salad, cheese, peppers, meats, cheese, more olive salad, bread
  • Griddle the grilled cheeses to toasty and golden
  • Serve sandwiches with soup