Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Today is the Halloween parade in Bloomfield! So in honor of halloween, I'm going to be making pumpkin soup for all the girls who are coming over to see the parade. We're also going to be having greens and beets seasoned with caraway seeds and sesame oil, fresh radishes, and to finish- lavender pound cake : )

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1 large white onion, diced
4 carrots unpeeled, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 inch section of ginger peeled and diced
3 medium sized red potatoes unpeeled, diced
3 cups of pureed pumpkin (see directions below)
2-3 cups homemade vegetable stock depending on how thick you like soup
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons of dried herbes de provence
1 tablespoon of fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoons of dried rosemary

Saute the onions and the carrots over medium heat until translucent and almost golden brown. Then toss in the chopped garlic and ginger and let cook for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock, herbs, pumpkin, and the potatoes and bring to a boil. Bring down to a simmer and cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Let it cool a little and then put it in a blender to get a smooth, creamy soup. Reheat on the stove. Serve with a sage leaf garnish and a drizzle of rosemary infused olive oil.
This version is vegan, but if you want a creamier version just add 1/2 cup of heavy cream after blending.

To roast the pumpkin:

Note: I used a pie pumpkin because there is more meat and it is sweeter and more flavorful than conventional pumpkins. However, conventional pumpkins are definitely edible and I'm sure would work just fine.
















1. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and all the fibrous gunk with a spoon. I like to scrape the sides too to make sure it's pretty cleaned out.

2. Chop up the pumpkin and leave the skin on. Place cut pieces in a 9 by 13 inch pan that has about 2 inches of water in it.

3. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and then roast for about 30 minutes to an hour until you can pierce the pumpkin with a fork easily. The skin should be a deeper orange and some of the pieces a little golden brown around the edges. Once it is out of the oven, let cool completely.

4. Once it is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scrape the meat from the skin or just peel off the skin with your hands. Put the meat right into a blender and blend until smooth. This makes lots of pumpkin puree, so you can make pumpkin treats all week!