This smooth, beautifully colored orange soup is perfect for an autumn dinner. It uses spaghetti broken into pieces, but broken vermicelli or dried tiny soup pasta will give equally good results.
1 pound pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
Pinch of grated nutmeg
7 tablespoons spaghetti, broken into small pieces
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chop pumpkin into one-inch cubes. Heat butter in a large pan, add onion and cook over medium heat for six to eight minutes until softened. Stir in pumpkin and cook for two to three minutes more. Pour chicken broth into pan and cook about 15 minutes until pumpkin is soft. Remove pan from heat.
Tip soup into a food processor or blender and process to a smooth puree. Return pureed soup to pan; stir in milk and grated nutmeg. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, then bring soup back to a boil over gentle heat.
Add broken spaghetti pieces and stir. Continue cooking over a gentle heat until pasta is al dente. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and ladle into warm soup bowls. Serve at once. Serves four.
