Savory Pumpkin Soup

Autumn is in full swing and everyone seems to be going crazy over pumpkin! So often pumpkin recipes are heavily spiced and varying in levels of sweet. This soup celebrates the savory flavor of pumpkin without the mask of seasonal spices. These ingredients are easy to find at your local farmers market. 

Pumpkin soup offers texture, weight, and a little bit of creaminess. That makes it great to pair with a medium to high acidic white wine. Try pairing this soup with a sustainably farmed and vegan wine from Field Recordings "Jurassic Park Vineyards" Chenin Blanc.  This wine is completely dry and has a balanced aroma of pear, meyer lemon, apple and almond with a striking palate of lemon peel, key lime pie and cardamom. Serves 6–-8

Ingredients:

• 2 small Pumpkins ( roughly 5”" diameter)
• 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 8 cups of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Russet Potato
• 1 medium Sweet Onion
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 medium Zucchini
• ¼ tsp of Cinnamon
• 1 tsp of Dried Sweet Basil
• ½ tsp of Dried Sage
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Desired Garnish: Olive Oil, Creme Fraiche, Pumpkin Seeds, Browned Kielbasa, or Bacon Bits.

1.  Preheat your oven to 400º.
2. Remove the stems from pumpkins then quarter them and scoop out the seeds.
3. Brush the inside meat of the pumpkin with the olive oil, placing the pieces on a cookie sheet. Roast for  30 minutes to an hour till the pumpkin is tender. (30 minutes for convection ovens) *The pumpkin can be prepared and cooked well in advance of the following steps.
4. Once the pumpkin has cooled enough to handle, peel off the outer skin and cut the meat into chunks. Also, peel and dice the potato, red pepper, zucchini and onion.
5. Place the pumpkin and potato chunks into a soup pot  pouring in 4 cups of vegetable stock. Simmer the soup on low heat.
6. In a separate skillet, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and sautee the finely diced onion for 2–3 minutes. Then add the red pepper and zucchini, sautéing till tender. Add the spices at the end of sautee. Let cool.
7. Remove 2 cups of the pumpkin mixture and set aside.
8. Blend the remaining pumpkin in the pot with a hand blender or transfer into a standard blender.
9. Combine everything in the soup pot and simmer soup on low heat for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Garnish the finished soup with a drizzle of olive oil, a blob of crème fraiche, pumpkin seeds, browned kielbasa or bacon bits as you choose.