Pumpkin Soup

This recipe serves about 8 people

This takes 1 hour to make

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion roughly diced
• 1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 small sweet potato peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 pounds pumpkin peeled and deseeded, roughly chopped
• 5 cups water OR chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg or less if you’re not a huge fan
• Salt + pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions:

• Sauté the vegetables:

  Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sweet potato and pumpkin and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Season the soup:

  Season with brown sugar, nutmeg, cumin, ginger, salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables for another 3-4 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they are starting to soften and brown.
• Cook the soup:

  Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
• Blend the soup:

  Take the pot off the heat and blend the soup until smooth. I like to use a stick blender when I’m short on time, but you can use a regular blender according to your manufacturer’s instructions for hot liquids.
• Finish the soup:

  Add the soup back over medium heat and heat through. Stir in cream to thin to your desired consistency, if desired. Warm for 2-3 minutes, then serve hot.