Spicy Pumpkin Bisque Recipe

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter until they are soft and transparent.

Add the pumpkin , stock, chile pepper, ground pepper, allspice , sugar, and sherry . Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Place the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth.

Return the soup to the pot, add the half-and-half, and simmer until heated. Garnish with the nutmeg and serve.

This soup can be served either hot or cold. Serve it hot with grilled fish and seasoned green beans or cold as a luncheon entree with a crisp salad .

Yield: 4 servings The Author says: "Calabaza is a very popular pumpkin-like squash that appears in many Caribbean recipes, including soups such as this one from Barbados. The Caribbean pumpkin is much smaller than those we carve for Halloween. Cooked and pureed butternut or Hubbard squash can be substituted for the pumpkin; although the taste is slightly different, it is still delicious." --Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach Recipe Source: The Whole Chile Pepper Cookbook by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach (Little, Brown & Co)

Reprinted with permission.