Vellutata di Zucca di Trombetta (Crookneck Pumpkin Soup)

By Andrea Marchesini, a friend and tour leader from Liguria.

You might enjoy this dish on our tours in Liguria during the summer time when zucca di trombetta is in season. It is harvested in a juvenile form, when it resembles a thin and long zucchina, and it gets its shape from being grown hanging down off a pergola. In summer, this wonderful veggie is most often served raw, chopped in a salad, or as a sautéed side dish.

This summer pumpkin is mostly grown in the area of Albenga. If left in the field, it grows twisted, which is why it is also called Crookneck Pumpkin (Cucurbita Moschata).

After harvest, it can last for months in a cool, dark place. For this reason, it can be conserved and enjoyed in the winter time as well.

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 2 pound Zucca di Trombetta (we used butternut squash instead, which is similar)
• 1 pound potatoes
• 3 Tbsp EVOO
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 gallon water
• Salt to taste 
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste

Directions:

• Wash and peel potatoes, then dice them
• Wash and peel Zucca (or squash), then dice it
• Chop onion finely and sauté in EVOO in a pot over medium flame
• Add diced potatoes and Zucca and sauté for a few minutes
• Add water to cover all and cook for an hour over medium flame
• When done, adjust with salt, then put everything into a blender and puree
• Serve hot, dressing each bowl with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or EVOO--to enjoy it as the locals do 
• Andrea loves to add chunks of dried bread previously diced and sautéed for a few minutes in his home-grown EVOO and home-grown dried herbs

Buon appetito!