November 12,2014
As Thanksgiving is approaching the plans are being made for the feast with the turkey being the centerpiece.
We all have our own traditions for what we will serve with the juicy turkey and we all have that person that we entrust the carving knife with. But we fret about what wine do we serve.
Lighter bodied wines are the best choice with Beaujolais Nouveau becoming the word of the day.
Thanksgiving is an opportunity to enjoy some more dry rosé wines from Provence. These wines are fresh and elegant. The great structure of these wines make them enjoyable with all the Thanksgiving Day flavors.
From the book Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living, we find a recipe perfect for this Fall season and Thanksgiving Day.
Pumpkin Soup with Chestnuts
Velouté de Potiron aux Châtaignes
Rich, velvety, and satisfying, this soup is great for cooler weather. It is the perfect Provençal comfort food.
Yield: 4-6 servings
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
2 pounds pumpkin, cut into 1-inch squares (about 5 cups)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chestnuts, plus more for garnish
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup heavy cream
1. In a medium saucepan, warm the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, the 1 cup of chestnuts, nutmeg, salt, and a grind of the black pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Process the mixture briefly with an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender for processing).
3. Add the heavy cream and stir well. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
4. Transfer to serving bowls and serve hot, garnished with some of the chestnuts.
Excerpted from Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living (Agate Publishing)
Copyright ® 2014 by François Millo and Viktorija Todorovska
