recipe: grandpa's pumpkin soup.
oh grandpa. you've done it again.
if you've never had pumpkin soup before, please do me a favor and make this one the first one that you try. it's one of those things that you taste, close your eyes and savor, and then want to put a straw in the pot and drink the rest of it up in one sitting. it's that good. and it's perfect for the fall.
(me in my natural state, getting ready to dip my personal loaf of bread into my soup.)
hanna came over to help me out with this one, and we also whipped up some brussels sprouts with toasted, slivered almonds and dried cranberries. for dessert we had stracciatello gelato topped with some raspberry compote she made herself. (yea, the cooking thing runs in the family.) it was the most wonderful monday night i can remember in a long time.[gallery type="rectangular" ids="2511,2512"]
i think grandpa would love that his recipes are not only feeding his family now that he's not here, but that they're also bringing his family together as we cook them and remember him while we do it. that's why he gave us the cookbook. so we'd remember him, and we'd do it together.there are lots of ways you can make this soup your own; you can use different types of broth for a different flavor, you can leave the cream out or lighten it up with skim milk, you could even use some different herbs or add a spice if the spirit moved you. just make it. i promise that all your fall meal dreams will come true when you do.
pumpkin soup makes a large pot of soup, enough to serve 4-6 and freeze half
- 2 T. butter
- 2 C. onion, chopped
- 2 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
- 4 C. chicken broth (note: we used 1 part chicken broth, 3 parts beef broth, and it was awesome! use whatever you want, it'll work great)
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2-4 small bay leaves
- 2 C. light cream (can substitute whole milk or more broth)
- 1/2 C. dry sherry (optional...we did not use)
- chopped chives or parsley for garnish
- crusty bread for serving.
melt butter in large saucepan. add onion and saute for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. stir in pumpkin, broth, thyme, salt and bay leaves. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. remove from heat remove bay leaves. cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.when ready to finish the soup recipe: bring the pumpkin mixture to a simmer. add cream (or broth) and sherry (optional). cook, stirring often until hot. ladle into serving bowls, garnish with parsley or chives and serve with hot crusty bread.prep time: 10 min. total time: 40 min.[note: the le creuset pot that you see in the photos for this recipe was given to me by my late grandmother as a wedding gift. i decided that a good time to break it in would be in cooking a recipe that belonged to grandpa. it brought a little magic to my cooking today, i'm sure of it]
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