Pumpkin Bread bowls and Witch's Brew

I'm making these again this halloween.  (2012)  Not sure if I will use this recipe of my Green smoothie girl split pea recipe - they are similar.  I am not sure how I will color the pumpkins because I've quit using food coloring for the most part.  (I did cave for the angry bird birthday party - they were mostly colored with fruits, but ...)  Anyway, I'd love any non-food color suggestions.  :)  Pureed carrot and spinach are sounding like what I may try this time around.  I've also updated the bread recipe to include the sweeteners and oils I more commonly use now.

I'm not sure how I found this food storage web site, but I stumbled upon this super cute recipe. Even though Halloween was over I had to try it. It turned out pretty tasty and definitely cute.
I did change the spices on the witches brew. My version is posted here or click the above link for their spices. I was pretty impressed with the soup. I have not made split pea without including ham, so I was a little leary, but it was really good. I also liked the texture the barley added to the soup. I plan to make this a yearly Halloween time meal.

Pumpkin Bread Bowls
Makes 4 medium bread bowls
Ingredients
2 T. instant yeast
1/4 cup sucanant or coconut palm sugar
2 cups warm water
4 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use white wheat)
Yellow, red, and green food coloring
Instructions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until they come together.
2. Knead the dough on a floured tabletop or with dough hook, adding more flour if needed, until it is smooth and elastic but not sticky or soft.
3. Cover and let the dough rise just until it has doubled in bulk (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).
4. Punch down the dough. Divide the dough into four portions, and remove a small piece of dough from each portion for the stems.
5. Shape each pumpkin by forming a ball with each 1/4 section of dough.  Personally I do this by stretching and rolling the dough down and under from the top although the original directions said to do it by pinching the dough up from the bottom.  The key is - end up with a sphere/pumpkin shape and put the less smooth side down.  .
6. Place the pumpkin on a parchment-paper-lined sheet pan. Grease one end of a toothpick and put it into the dough stem so that it sticks out an inch from the top. Stick the other end into the pumpkin top. Then cover each pumpkin with plastic wrap and let it rise to twice its size.
7. Uncover the risen dough. Holding the stem, slowly twist the toothpick to loosen it but don’t remove it.
8. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of water with 30 drops of yellow and 6 drops of red food coloring. Transfer a half teaspoon of the mixture to a small bowl and stir in a drop of green food coloring.
Use a small pastry brush to paint the stem green (the brush should not be too wet). Gently apply a coat of orange to the globe using a larger brush and long, soft strokes. Let the paint dry for about 2 minutes.
With a sharp knife, lightly score the dough to create the pumpkin’s grooves.
9. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the bread until it sounds hollow when you tap the crust, about 35 to 40 minutes.
10. Set the pumpkin on a cooling rack and twist the toothpick to remove it. If the crust seems soft, cool the bread completely, then bake it for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Before serving, slice off the top of the pumpkin and pull out the bread from the inside, leaving the bowl about 1” thick on the sides and bottom. Fill with thick soup.



Here are my pumpkins painted and in the oven. Next out of the oven to show how the color darkens. Then cut and awaiting the soup.






Witches’ Brew (Split Pea and Barley Soup)


INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups dried split peas
• 1/2 cup barley
• 9 cups chicken stock (I used a 64 oz. carton of stock and 1 cup of chicken broth from a can - probably going to use vegetable stock this time around)
  
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 potatoes, diced (I don’t peel them!)
• 1/2 T dried parsley
  
• 1/2 T dried basil
• 1 T dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir until well combined. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Add more water if soup is too thick. Serve in bread bowls.


I loved how my crock pot ended up looking like a cauldron. I thought that was fun. Unfortunatly, it didn't want to work correctly. After 5 hours on high it wasn't ready and I had to cook it on the stove for 35 more minutes. Aarg! But that was the crock pot's fault, not the recipes.