Dispatch News 11-16-2022

Cruisers shut out Leopards, advance to state quarterfinals

The Eatonville Cruisers’ “bend-don’t-break” defense stopped Zillah at the goal line three times Friday, and the offense exploded for 28 points as Eatonville recorded its first shutout of the season to defeat the Zillah Leopards, 28-0, and advance to the quarterfinals of the WIAA 1A state football playoffs.

The Cruiser defense set the tone early and never let up. It held the Leopards to only 181 yards of total offense — 70 on the ground and 111 through the air — including just 58 in the second half.

“Super proud of our defense,” Eatonville head coach Gavin Kralik said. “We got great performances from defensive linemen, linebackers, our secondary. It was a great game plan by our defensive staff, led by Rex Norris. So, real proud of how well they played tonight.”

How it happened

Eatonville received the opening kickoff but hurt themselves with penalties on the first drive and punted the ball to Zillah.

Zillah took the ball all the way to the Cruiser 7-yard

line where the Leopards faced a fourth down and 5 yards to go. The Eatonville defense stood strong and denied the Leopards the score.

Eatonville then put together a 10-play, 93-yard drive that ended with a Ky Nation 59-yard touchdown run to give Eatonville a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the second quarter.

After the kick return, Zillah drove into the red zone again and faced a fourth down at the 15-yard line, where the Eatonville defense kept the Leopards out of the end zone, and they turned the ball over on downs.

Starting at the 15-yard line, the Cruisers only needed eight plays to go 85 yards to find the end zone. Quarterback Job Kralik hit Nation in stride, and Nation went 70 yards for the score to put Eatonville up 14-0 with 5:10 left in the half.

Nine plays later, Zillah found themselves back in the red zone facing a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. For the third time of the night, the Cruiser defense denied the Leopard offense the end zone, and Eatonville took over at the 1 with 2 minutes until half. A few plays later, both teams headed to the locker room with Eatonville leading 14-0.

While the final votes have yet to be counted in the Nov. 8 general election, winners have been decided in each of the state’s contested races.

Despite challenger Matt Larkin winning in Pierce County with 59 percent of the vote (as of Saturday), Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier held onto her seat in Congressional District 8, giving Democrats a crucial boost at the national level.

As of Saturday, Schrier led Larkin by almost 20,000 votes.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs held off a challenge by former Pierce County auditor Julie Anderson, who was seeking to become Washington’s first non-partisan secretary of state. As of Saturday’s reporting, Hobbs earned 49.81 percent of the vote to Anderson’s 46.15 percent.

In an email sent to supporters Thursday, Anderson conceded Hobbs’ win and stated she trusted the election process.

“I knew this would be a tough race but believed strongly it needed to be run,” Anderson said in a statement. “Voters deserved to have the choice of an experienced elections administrator — without party strings attached. While many voters made that choice, it wasn’t quite enough.”

At the state level, Rep. JT Wilcox, incumbent for Legislative District 2, handily defeated challenger Edward Meer in the only contested race in the district. As of Saturday, Wilcox, a Republican, had 73.14 percent of the vote to Meer’s 24.99 percent.

In Pierce County, Linda Farmer defeated Deryl McCarty to become the new county auditor.

FEDERAL

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D): 1,517,012, 56.99% Tiffany

Photo by Pete Caster/The News Tribune Eatonville’s Max Henley sacks Zillah quarterback Jayden Salme during the third quarter of the teams’ State

game

in Spanaway.

A BEE-FRIENDLY BULB LAWN

Let’s face it. Lawns do nothing for the environment, and as grown typically with herbicides and inorganic fertilizers, both weaken and harm it. If your lawn still feels useful, you may not be ready to “lose your lawn” altogether or convert it to a wildflower meadow.

If so, consider this beautiful interim step, inviting pollinators and reducing lawn impacts — a flowering bulb lawn.

What makes a bulb lawn a perfect transition project is that it’s a seasonal event, running from early to late spring. Imagine a shifting tapestry of flowers alive with birds, bees and butterflies. There is one compromise, however. For your bulbs to multiply and prosper, you’ll need to leave the dying leaves intact until they yellow or wither. This signals another kind of transition, this time a mental one for the gardener — welcoming a little bit of wild into your lawn.

As your bulb lawn retreats for the year, it will look messier than it did. This shift can take a minute to accept. Garden writer Margaret Roach noted in a recent podcast episode the tension that gardeners skirt between aesthetics and environmental health.

For centuries, the ruling aesthetic for lawns has been a velvet rug that exists to set off the trees and borders around.

Douglas Tallamy, author of “Nature’s Best Hope,” suggests “cues of care” can help bridge this line. These cues might include mowing a swath through taller grass, or a path around it, and keeping the edges trimmed. Such signs highlight the hand of the gardener, reassuring viewers that this is a caredfor space.

This project is inspired by horticulture power couple Dan Benarcik of the Chanticleer Foundation and Peggy Anne Montgomery, of flowerbulbs.com,

who created one in their home this fall. They chose a selection of shortergrowing bulbs that are pollinatorfriendly, tend to perennialize, expanding each year, and are mostly critter-resistant. They should also help prevent weeds as they become established. Because their bloom times are staggered, they can be planted closely, with the smallest in the same holes.

Crocus and dwarf Iris reticulata start the show in late winter, followed in early spring by Chionodoxa lucilliae (glory of the snow), long-blooming narcissus “Tete a Tete” and Ipheion uniflorum (starflower).

Benarcik and Montgomery also used Scilla siberica, but that can become invasive here, so I’d avoid that. An alternate might be white-flowered Tulipa turkestanica, whose yellow eye would set off the “Tete a Tete” daffodils.

In mid-spring, another species or botanical tulip, yellow Tulipa sylvestris and blue or white Muscari armenicum are the grand finale.

For this project, you’ll need as many bulbs as you can lavish upon the project, some bulb fertilizer and a bulb auger or some digging helpers.

Mark out the area with a hose or white spray paint, making sure to leave access paths around or through. Plant thickly, digging holes about three times the height of the bulb, so for the largest, the 2-foot daffodils, you’d dig 6 inches deep.

Montgomery suggests adding a teaspoon of bulb fertilizer to each hole and keeping the tiniest bulbs separate so they can be layered on top of the larger bulbs before filling the hole. Don’t worry about which end is up when planting — the bulb knows what to do.

Benarcik took the chance to topdress the disturbed lawn with compost and lawn seed. One note for herbicide users — skip broad-spectrum preemergent herbicides — as they will damage your bulbs.

If you are concerned about digging animals attracted to the fresh earth or the tulips, watering down the planting area will make the area less appealing. For sterner measures, lay down chicken wire on the top of the area until the bulbs emerge.

For full details and a visual of the process, check out the video at youtube.com/ watch?v=TJyzYNNayVA.

Your design can follow your lawn’s shape, or you can make it more artistic, like creating your initials, or go all-out for a seasonal labyrinth. It might help to mark the area until the bulbs come up. Just remember not to mow until the bulb foliage has died down, and you’ll have a magical flower carpet that is more beautiful and vibrant every year, while helping the birds and the bees.

Erica Browne Grivas Get Growing

Photos by Erica Browne Grivas Narcissus (daffodils) are avoided by squirrels and deer. The shortestgrowing, earlier-blooming varieties will go dormant the fastest.

Photos by Erica Browne Grivas Crocuses are critter-resistant and naturalize easily.

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY APPLICATIONS

The “Friends of The Eatonville Library” would like to announce that books and other materials are presently being sold once again on the bookshelves in the lobby of the

Please contact these churches to see if there are any service changes while the COVID-19 statewide restrictions are in place

CENTERPOINT P.O. Box 900 Eatonville, WA 98328 (360) 832-4253

Pastor Jonathan & Jennie Cross

Pastor Adam & MaryBeth Orellana SUNDAYS:

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL CATHOLIC CHURCH

Reverend Dominic Chikankheni

253-875-6630 ext. 127

229 Antonie Ave. N. 360-832-6363 or 253-875-6630

Saturday Mass...........4:00 p.m.

Wednesday.................6:30 p.m.

Join us Sunday at Home Spun Ministries

Where church is the way it should be!

10:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE 37117 103rd Ave Ct E, Eatonville, WA www.homespunministries.com

(360) 832-4315

Pastor Larry Dorothy

LIVING WORD LUTHERAN CHURCH

10515 269TH ST. E., GRAHAM, WA 98338 www.livingwordlutheranchurch.com

(253) 846-1276

SUNDAY 9:30 AM

WORSHIP SERVICE

To add your church Call 1-800-616-4370 ext2

206-461-1300

SUBSCRIPTION AND CIRCULATION

Christina Hill

ppccirc@pacificpublishingcompany.com Select #3

PUBLISHER: Pacific Publishing Company 206-461-1300

Eatonville Library (205 Center St. West).

All proceeds will be used to support the Eatonville Library and its programs.

Legislature: Don’t collect capital gains tax until Supreme Court rules

By Lawrence Wilson The Center Square contributor

Washington lawmakers have advised the Department of Revenue that its proposed rule concerning the state’s capital gains tax should be labeled as “advisory only” pending the state Supreme Court’s ruling on the law’s constitutionality.

Last year the Legislature passed a capital-gains tax, RCW 82.87, which was immediately challenged in the courts as unconstitutional. Douglas County Superior Court Judge Brian Huber agreed, ruling on March 1 that the tax is properly considered both a graduated tax and a property tax.

Douglas ruled that, as a property tax, the law violates the state constitution which requires that property taxes be uniform. The law is not uniform, Douglas ruled, because it does not apply to amounts less than $250,000.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked the state Supreme Court to take the case on direct appeal, which it did. A hearing is set for Jan. 26.

Meanwhile, the DOR continued to work on an administrative rule for collecting the tax, even though collection was prohibited by the Superior Court’s ruling that the tax is unconstitutional.

That prompted a letter of protest from the Citizen Action Defense Fund, a local government watchdog

Jody

Send Change of Address and Correspondence to: MAILING ADDRESS: 636 South Alaska Street, Suite, E2, Seattle, WA 98108-1727

nonprofit, demanding the agency stop its rule making activities related to implementing the capital gains income tax.

“It is black letter law that statutes declared unconstitutional are deemed void ‘from the beginning’ or ab initio — they have no legal effect whatsoever and the law treats them as if they never existed,” CADF Executive Director Jackson Maynard wrote in the Oct. 5 letter, addressed to John Ryser, DOR acting director.

Then on Nov. 3, Attorney General Bob Ferguson asked the Supreme Court to stay the lower court’s ruling with respect to tax collecting, calling the decision “incorrect, and is at the very least debatable.” He argued that “It would be profoundly irresponsible for the Department to fail to prepare to collect the tax in April 2023 as directed by statute.”

To clarify the situation, the Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee of the Washington State Legislature wrote to Ryser requesting that “the Department amend the proposed rule to include language that the rule serves as guidance and only applies if the capital gains tax authorized under chapter 82.87 RCW is ruled constitutional and valid by the Washington Supreme Court.” Wording to that effect is now displayed on the DOR webpage pertaining to RCW 82.87.

Brett Davis contributed to this report.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING OF THE EATONVILLE TOWN COUNCIL

on Monday, November 28, 2022

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Eatonville Town Council shall hold a Public Hearing for the purpose of soliciting public input on Ordinance 20227 an Ordinance of the Town of Eatonville, Washington, adopting the Budget for the calendar year 2023. This meeting will be held as a hybrid meeting. Public comment for the Public Hearing will be opened up during the Public Hearing portion of the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the Eatonville Community Center, 305 Center St W. on Monday, November 28, 2022 at 7:00pm. You may also join via zoom: Meeting ID 537 233 9187 or by calling in at 253-215-8782. Passcode: 98328

Published November 16, 2022 and November 23, 2022

Savvy Senior: Top financial scams targeting seniors today

Dear Savvy Senior, What are the most common scams today that target elderly seniors? My 75-year-old mother has been swindled several times over the past year, so I’m being extra cautious.

— Paranoid Patty

Dear Patty, Great question! While many scams today are universal, there are certain types of fraud that specifically target older adults or affects them disproportionately. And unfortunately, these senior targeted scams are on the rise.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 2021 there were 92,371 older victims of fraud resulting in $1.7 billion in losses. This was a 74 percent increase in losses compared to 2020.

Here are five of the most common senior scams that were reported last year, that both you and your mom should be aware of:

• Government imposter scams: These are fraudulent telephone calls from people claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration or Medicare. These scammers may falsely tell

you that you have unpaid taxes and threaten arrest or deportation if you don’t pay up immediately. Or they may say your Social Security or Medicare benefits are in danger of being cut off if you don’t provide personal identifying information. They may even “spoof” your caller ID to make it look like the government is actually calling.

• Sweepstakes and lottery scams: These scams may contact you by phone, mail or email. They tell you that you’ve won or have the potential to win a jackpot. But you need to pay a fee, or cover taxes and processing fees to receive your prize, perhaps by prepaid debit card, wire transfer, money order or cash. Scammers may even impersonate well-known sweepstakes organizations, like Publishers Clearing House, to fool you.

• Robocalls and phone scam: Robocalls take advantage of sophisticated, automated phone technology to carry out a variety of scams on trusting older adults who answer the phone. Some robocalls may claim that a warranty is expiring on their car or electronic device,

and payment is needed to renew it. These scammers may also “spoof” the number to make the call look authentic.

One common robocall is the “Can you hear me?” call. When the older person says “yes,” the scammer records their voice and hangs up. The criminal then has a voice signature to authorize unwanted charges on items like stolen credit cards.

• Computer tech support scams: Theses scams prey on senior’s lack of knowledge about computers and cybersecurity. A pop-up message or blank screen usually appears on a computer or phone, telling you that your device is compromised and needs fixing. When you call the support number for help, the scammer may either request remote access to your computer and/or that you pay a fee to have it repaired.

• Grandparent scam: The grandparent scam has been around for several years now. A scammer will call and say something along the lines of: “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the scammer most sounds

like, the scammer has established a fake identity.

The fake grandchild will then ask for money to solve some unexpected financial problem (legal trouble, overdue rent, car repairs, etc.), to be paid via gift cards or money transfers, which don’t always require identification to collect.

Other Scams

Some other popular scams targeting older adults right now are romance scams through social media and online dating sites, COVID-19 scams, investment scams, Medicare and health insurance scams, and Internet and email fraud.

For more information on the different types senior scams to watch out for, along with tips to help your mom protect herself, visit the National Council on Aging website at NCOA. org, and type in “the top 5 financial scams targeting older adults” in the search bar.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

County Council signs off on spending for land purchase

By Brett Davis | Contributing writer

The Pierce County Council unanimously approved the use of Conservation Futures Opportunity Account funds to reimburse PenMet Parks for up to $538,000 to acquire title to properties known as the DeMolay Sandspit Nature Preserve Expansion.

The account was established by the council to allow the Conservation Futures Program to purchase properties for conservation purposes.

Mike Kruger, senior policy analyst, explained it’s designed “to provide flexibility with the Conservation Futures Program to pursue the purchase of exceptional conservation futures properties outside of the normal selection process and timeline.”

He added those include properties under threat of immediate development or financial distress that would preclude the property from being considered in the next regular conservation futures application cycle.

The property under consideration for funding is a 3.57-acre site on Fox Island, adjacent to the Peninsula Metropolitan Park’s DeMolay Sandspit Nature Preserve Park. The property would be managed by PenMet Parks.

Funding for project was included in the adopted 2022-23 biennial budget. The authorization to fund this Conservation Futures property would utilize all remaining funds in the Conservation Futures Opportunity Account through the end of 2022. An additional $250,000 will become available in the Conservation Futures Opportunity Account in 2023.

State actuary: Here’s how to keep WA Cares solvent

By Brett Davis | The Center Square

Washington State Actuary Matt Smith made three preliminary recommendations Thursday morning regarding the solvency of the state’s first-of-its-kind universal long-term care insurance program to be funded by worker contributions.

Smith’s remarks came at a virtual meeting of the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission and were based on a study published last month by actuarial research firm Milliman. The study concluded the program, known as WA Cares, is projected to be fully funded under most scenarios through June 30, 2098.

Milliman’s claim that WA Cares is on solid financial ground as it prepares to launch next July is a welcome news for the state regarding a program that was delayed 18 months by legislative action this year.

The WA Cares payroll tax — 58 cents on every $100 earned — was supposed to kick in Jan. 1, but that plan was derailed by, among other things, lawmakers concerned about people paying into the program who would not be eligible to receive benefits.

The delay means access to benefits that pay for things like in-home care, home modifications for wheelchair access, and transportation to medical appointments has been pushed back from Jan. 1, 2025, until July 1, 2026.

Each person who is eligible to receive benefits can access care costing up to $36,500 — adjusted annually for inflation — over their lifetime.

• “The first recommendation might sound familiar to you: Clarify key program parameters to ensure that actuarial modeling is aligned with

46.6%

ELECTION from Page 1

42.79%

Congressional District 8

U.S. Representative Kim Schrier (D): 159,131, 53.06% Matt Larkin (R): 139,766,

expected program administration,” Smith said.

That, he explained, is a continuation of a recommendation made last year.

“Work continues on solidifying the benefit eligibility trigger,” Smith said.

He added, “However, rulemaking will be happening down the road, and I think that will solidify the definition. We recommend that there will be actuarial review of the benefit eligibility rules throughout the rulemaking process.”

• Smith’s second recommendation was reassessing WA Cares’ financial outlook after next year’s legislative session.

“You’re considering potential changes,” he told the commission.

“The Legislature might consider making changes that could significantly change program projections. Updating the analysis to reflect any of those changes in any early program experience, that’s going to provide more current outlook than Milliman’s 2022 study.”

A “full-blown assessment” might not be required, he noted, but some form of evaluation will be necessary.

“But I think it will be important to update those projections,” Smith said.

• His third recommendation involved making sure the program stays fully funded.

“The final recommendation is a conditional one,” he said.

If the program’s funded status falls below 100% based on an updated analysis, Smith said, then a response must be developed to return the program to its 100% funded status.

Key takeaways from the Milliman study include:

“Under most scenarios evaluated, including the best-estimate, base plan

WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE Washington Legislative District 2

State Representative Pos. 2 JT Wilcox (R): 35,849, 73.14%

scenario, the program’s premium assessment of 0.58% ($0.58 per $100 of earnings, or about $24/month for the typical covered earner making $50,100/year) is projected to keep the WA Cares Fund solvent over the entire projection period (through June 30, 2098).”

“The report considers a broad range of potential scenarios. In some of those scenarios it is possible that, without corrective action, the premium rate required to fund the program over the long term could exceed the current statutory premium rate of 0.58%. It is also important to note that actual results will vary from the projections in the report. The Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission, the WA Cares Fund oversight body, utilizes a Risk Management Framework that requires the Office of the State Actuary and the LTSS Trust Commission to continuously monitor the program’s finances. This ensures that any risks are identified promptly, giving the Commission and the Legislature ample time to adjust the program as needed to stay on course.”

Not everyone is buying into Milliman’s report.

“An avalanche of nearly 500,000 people opting out of the program, given a now-expired timeline, hurt the fund’s solvency,” Elizabeth Hovde, health policy expert at the free market Washington Policy Center think tank, wrote in a Nov. 1 blog. “But the 18-month delay of the law and tax collection helped solvency predictions, given that wages are expected to continue to rise but the already inadequate lifetime benefit will stay the same.”

Edward Meer (No Party): 12,246, 24.99% STATE EXECUTIVE

Steve Hobbs (D): 1,281,748, 49.81%

Julie Anderson (NonPartisan): 1,187,576, 46.15% PIERCE COUNTY

FOOTBALL from Page

14 more in second half

Hoping the adjustments they made during halftime would play in their favor, the Leopards received the kickoff to start the second half, and the Cruiser defense immediately forced a three-and-out, and Zillah punted.

After both teams traded punts, Eatonville found the end zone again.

Starting at their 21-yard line, the Cruisers marched 79 yards on 11 plays, and Dylan Norman capped the drive with a 7-yard scoring run to put Eatonville up 21-0 with just over a minute left in the third quarter.

The Cruiser defense again came up big on Zillah’s next possession. Facing a fourth-and-10, Eatonville’s Max Henley sacked the Leopard’s quarterback for a 9-yard loss and forced Zillah to punt the ball back to the Cruisers.

The Cruisers finished scoring for the night when Kralik hit tight end R.J. Schrimpsher for a 13-yard score to put the Cruisers up 28-0 with just under 3 minutes to play.

On their final possession of the night, Zillah turned it over on downs again, this time at midfield with 2 minutes to play. Eatonville went into the coveted victory formation and kneed the ball to run the clock out and sealed the victory.

Eatonville piled up 451 yards of total offense, averaging 7.4 yards per carry on 45 attempts. Norman led the Cruisers on the ground with 27 carries for 171 yards and one touchdown, while Nation had five carries for 95 yards and one rushing touchdown. He also caught two passes for 100 yards and a score.

With the win, the Cruisers advance to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs and will host the No. 12 Freeman Scotties on Saturday at Art Crate Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 pm.

EATONVILLE 28, ZILLAH 0

Second quarter

E — Ky Nation 59-yard run (Kralik kick)

E — Nation 70-yard pass from Kralik (Kralik kick)

Third quarter

E — Dylan Norman 7-yard run (Kralik kick)

Fourth quarter

E — RJ Schrimpsher 12-yard pass from Kralik (Kralik kick)

AUDITOR

Linda Farmer: 163,399, 59.03%

Deryl McCarty: 111,821, 40.4%

STATE MEASURES

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5974

Repealed: 1,496,004, 59.2%

Maintained: 1,030,872, 40.8%

Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2076

Repealed: 1,315,692, 52.43%

Maintained: 1,193,950, 47.57%

Delicious

soup,

perfect for the season

Cooler weather arrives just as prime entertaining season heats up. Those who will be hosting gatherings soon can expand their recipe repertoire to feed guests and keep them satisfied. Borrowing some flavors from the season can make entertaining festive and even more flavorful.

Pumpkins and winter squashes are popular in fall, and their versatility undoubtedly contributes to that popularity. However, when chilly days require something to warm you up from the inside out, nothing can beat a soothing soup. And soup recipes can be altered to easily feed a crowd.

Cooks can step out of their chicken soup comfort zones and try this recipe for “Roasted Pumpkin Soup With Pumpkin Crisps” from “The Complete Mexican, South American & Caribbean Cookbook” (Metro Books) by Jane Milton, Jenni Fleetwood and Marina Filippeli.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Pumpkin Crisps

Serves 6 to 8

• 3 to 3 1/2 pounds pumpkin

• 6 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 onions, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• 4 cups vegetable stock

• Salt and ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

• Fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

For the pumpkin crisps

• Wedge of fresh pumpkin, seeded

• ½ cup olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Prick the pumpkin around the top several times with a fork. Brush the pumpkin with plenty of the oil and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Leave until cool enough to handle.

2. Take care when cutting the pumpkin, as there may still be a lot of hot steam inside. When cool enough to handle, scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out and chop the flesh.

3. Heat about 4 tablespoons of the remaining oil (you may not have to use all of it) in a large pan and add the onions, garlic and ginger, then cook gently for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the coriander, turmeric and cayenne, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin flesh and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender.

4. Cool the soup slightly, then puree it in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return the soup to the rinsed out pan and season well.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the pumpkin crisps. Using a swivel-blade potato peeler, pare long thin strips off the wedge of pumpkin. Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the strips in batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

6. Reheat the soup and ladle it into bowls. Top with the pumpkin crisps and garnish each portion with sesame seeds and cilantro leaves.

Metro Creative Connection

Metro Creative Connection