This unique fall-inspired soup brings together the comforting blend of pumpkin and sage, all enriched with pieces of apple and ham, making it a scrumptious meal for the cooler days of autumn. We utilize canned pumpkin for ease, but when cooked together with fresh vegetables and hearty spices, the canned variant offers a flavor that rivals its fresh counterpart.

In terms of the wine that's used for cooking, don't feel trapped by the notion of using 'cooking wine.' Wine that you enjoy drinking and that integrates with the natural flavors, is the better choice. Lesser-quality wines might leave behind undesirable tastes. So, your leftover wine of decent quality from a week ago or even a bottle slightly beyond its best drinking days is still perfectly decent for cooking purposes.

Keep in mind, if the soup gets a little too dense, you can always throw in some extra broth or water to make it to your desired consistency. Enhance the unique blend of flavors further by pairing this soup with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc or Fumé Blanc from California. Such wines complement the rich composition of fruit and herbal tastes in the apple and sage mixture of the soup.

Here's how to put together this perfect fall combination: In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add 1 chopped onion, carrot, celery stick, and a 1/2 diced apple (preferably tart, like a Granny Smith) and cook until the onion appears translucent, about 10 minutes. Next, combine 2 cups of canned pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup of dry white wine, 1 tablespoon of dried sage, and a bay leaf. Following this, add 3 1/2 cups of water, 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth (you can use homemade stock as well), 1 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Bring this mixture to boil and then let it simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 pound of diced ham and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes. Upon making sure that the vegetables are tender, remove the bay leaf and serve the soup warm.

This recipe serves four and was originally featured in Food & Wine's 1998 cookbook, Quick From Scratch Herbs & Spices, written partly by Emily Ziemski. This formula manages to scale fairly well, offering flexibility to adjust the batch size to your requirements. However, do note that while ingredients can be adjusted accordingly, the cooking times and steps remain largely unchanged.