When I talk about pumpkin, I am referring to what a lot of folks call winter squashes: Hubbard, kabocha, and butternut, to name a few of the most popular, as well as the orange squash we call a pumpkin and associate most readily with Halloween. You may grow any of these squashes in the garden, or you may prefer to buy them at a roadside stand, but either way, don't pass them by. Small orange pumpkins are terrific for a lot more than Thanksgiving pies.

I love this smooth, creamy pumpkin soup made without a drop of fresh cream. I add cinnamon, which loves pumpkin, but then play off the resulting autumnal flavors by bringing in savories such as chili peppers and cardamom. Cinnamon, chilies, and cardamom are used throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia, as are a number of pumpkins. Foods that originate in the same region of the world generally taste good together, and while neither squashes nor chilies are native to Asia, they have long been integral to its multiple cuisines. Interestingly, chilies were introduced to Asia by the Portuguese, who brought them from the New World. It didn't take long for the Asians or the Portuguese to figure out what to do with them.

I love the cardamom because it's unexpected—a "What did you put in this?" kind of flavor that makes this soup especially fun to serve. The fried sage does two wonderful things: it multiplies the flavor of the sage already in the soup, and it adds great, crispy texture. The leaves smell and taste great, too.

Recipes from Homegrown Pure and Simple, Chronicle Books, 2006