ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

There is nothing more soothing than a wonderful squash soup on a chilly fall day. I usually tend to pick butternut squash as my base squash but this year I tried out some different recipes using pumpkin. Since it is only here for a short amount of time it feels like a special event when making it.

With as many food allergies as I have, I tend to look at recipes as a guideline rather than a rule. This recipe is loosely taken from, “The Martha Stewart Cookbook”.

Instead of half-and-half and sour cream I used coconut milk. I also roasted the pumpkin and carrots to add a little more flavor. Pumpkin is bland it needs all the help it can get!

This is really a base soup that other things can be added to it. Sage is always good with pumpkin as is ginger, rosemary, cumin, or turmeric. I like a little kick so I added red pepper flakes and more fresh ground pepper at the end.

As I do with recipes make it your own. Add flavors to it that make you happy.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of olive oil
2-3 lbs Pumpkin, cleaned, seeded and cut in half
3 large carrots, cleaned and cut in half
2 Tablespoons of butter or ghee
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced thin
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 pears, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1/2 cup of coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly brush the inside of the pumpkin and the carrots with olive oil. Place the vegetables on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook for 45-50 minutes until the carrots and pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork.

Once cool enough to handle, scrape the pumpkin pulp out of the shell and set aside.

In a cast iron soup pot, melt the butter. Next add the onion, leek and shallots. Saute for 5-7 minutes.