Pumpkin in a soup

Our Sunday Slow Souper's soup (say that 3 times!) for this week is Pumpkin soup. Perfect for Christmas!

In the south we tend to think of pumpkin as sweet... as in pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin butter. This soup shows off the savory side of pumpkin. Imagine that... a vegetable that tastes like a vegetable.

I resisted the urge to throw in some karo syrup!

Pumpkin Soup with Cheddar & Parmesan

8 Servings

8 bacon slices, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

8 cups (or more) chicken broth

2 16-ounce cans solid pack pumpkin

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

1 cup half & half

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Saute bacon in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat until brown, about 8 minutes. Pour off drippings. Add oil to same Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Stir in 8 cups stock, pumpkin and thyme. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return to Dutch oven. Mix in half and half and nutmeg. Stir in additional stock if soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. Top each serving with a mixture of cheddar and Parmesan cheese and serve.

Bon Appetit, December 1994

Christmas Past Meets Christmas Present

I took this soup to work for our Christmas party and everyone enjoyed it. It has gotten mixed reviews from the other Slow Soupers. I added more thyme and nutmeg than the recipe called for and used some leftover pancetta rather than bacon.

Bill didn't like it as much as pumpkin pie... but it's a keeper!

Merry Christmas y'all,

Sandi