What’s in Season: Pumpkin Soup

You don't have to love fruits and vegetables to take advantage of the local farmer's market. Do it to support local business and farmers; do it if reducing your carbon footprint is a concern to you, or do it to try a new recipe using produce you can certain of its freshness and quality. This month's featured ingredient is everyone's favourite gourd the pumpkin. More than a Halloween decoration and a pie filling, pumpkins can be boiled, steamed, or roasted, and are an excellent source of beta-carotene. When used as a base for a soup, pumpkin adds a savoury smoothness that will warm you up on these chilly fall evenings, making this recipe a perfect meal to have before or after trick-or-treating.

Ingredients:

1 sugar pumpkin
1.4 L chicken stock
120 mL heavy whipping cream
7.5 g salt
5 g chopped fresh parsley
150 g chopped onion
2.5 g chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
5 whole black peppercorn

1.  Preheat the oven to 165 °C. Cut the pumpkin in half from stem to base, then remove the pulp and the seeds (save and roast them for a bonus treat). Cover each half with foil, and bake in the oven, foil side up, for one hour, or until they are tender.
2.  Scrape the pumpkin meat from the shell halves and puree it in a blender. Strain everything to remove any remaining stringy pieces, and set aside 4 cups worth of the puree. The rest can be stored in the freezer in freezer safe bags.
3.  On the stove, heat the chicken stock, pumpkin puree, onion, thyme, garlic, salt, and peppercorns to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.
4.  Puree the soup in small batches using a food processor or blender. Return everything to the saucepan, and again bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, then pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.