Harvest pumpkin soup
Pumpkin Soup. Can’t get more fall than a pumpkin soup! Baked in a pumpkin! Ever since we received the book “Pumpkin Soup” in our preschool book club, I make this perfect fall soup with the kids. But this year, I couldn’t leave well enough alone, and I decided to tinker with the recipe a bit. And boy am I glad I did: I incorporated some new spices, sautéed some onions and garlic into the soup and the result was… the BEST PUMPKIN SOUP EVER.
SERVES 4-6 people
INGREDIENTS
1 medium Cinderella or Sugar pumpkin (top cut off, seeds and insides removed)*
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt & pepper, to taste
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
optional toppings: heavy cream, creme fraiche, or crumbled goat cheese
*Note: This soup tastes best with super fresh pumpkins. Also, small to medium pumpkins work better as the bigger your pumpkin is the more likely it could collapse in the oven. This recipe is for a medium pumpkin.
1
Prepare the pumpkin. Cut a lid off the top. Scoop out seeds and stringy fibers. Rub a little sea salt inside.
2
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Finally, add in the chicken broth and cream and bring to a boil. (For a lighter soup, use 4 cups chicken broth and no cream.)
3
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees and place pumpkin in a cake pan or a dish with edges in case the soup overflows or pumpkin collapses while baking.
4
Pour your broth mixture into the pumpkin and replace the pumpkin top. (Tip: use a sheet of aluminum foil between the pumpkin and it’s top to prevent it from falling into the soup.) Place pan in oven and bake until pumpkin flesh is soft, about 45-50 min.
5
Remove pan from oven, and using a metal spoon, carefully scrape the flesh from the inside of the pumpkin, being careful not to pierce the skin.
6
Ladle the broth and pumpkin flesh into a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Add in more salt and pepper to taste.
7
To serve, pour soup back into pumpkins. If you’d like top with goat cheese/creme fraiche/swirl in cream, fresh black pepper.
