RECIPE: French Pumpkin Soup

It's raining pumpkins this month anyway, so why not make this easy delicious soup?

It may surprise you to learn that pumpkins are not strictly gourds, but fruits. How, you ask? A pumpkin is a fruit because anything that starts from a flower is, botanically, a fruit. Tomatoes are also fruits. So are peppers, cucumbers, peas, string beans, eggplants, okra, olives, avocados, corn, zucchini and chickpeas.

Mind blown, amirite?

Australians, for some reason, are mad about pumpkin soup; Americans, less so. But I suspect that’s because the pumpkin soup we make in America is a bit anemic, not properly pureed, and insufficiently seasoned. Fear not, kitchen warriors, for this recipe will put warm comfort in your tummy and spread an exquisite profile of flavors across your tongue. French pumpkin soup has excellent mouth-feel. It’s also rich, savory, slightly smoky, not difficult to make, and will make you look like a genius when you serve it at the table.

First, of course, we must roast our pumpkin shells. Can you use store-bought canned pumpkin? Theoretically, yes, but I’m going to be a pain about this and forbid it. I have reasons! Roasting your pumpkin imparts a specific flavor that you can’t get out of a can.

Scoop and/or slice peeled pumpkin chunks from a 2-3 pound sugar pumpkin (seeds removed) and roast with 9 garlic cloves, 2 halved red onions and 5 sprigs fresh thyme. I like to brush my mixture with avocado oil, which caramelizes the pumpkin better, but any oil with do. Roast in a 350 degree oven, usually between 20-40 minutes, until the pumpkin offers no resistance when you pierce it with a fork. Remove from oven and discard the thyme and onions.

Now that we have our roasted pumpkin, let’s get cracking on that recipe.

Ingredients (including the ingredients needed to roast our pumpkin):

1 sugar pumpkin (2-3 pounds)
2 red onions
9 cloves garlic (at first, the cloves are left whole for roasting; after roasting, they are chopped)
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
4 1/2 tbsps. unsalted butter
5 large shallots, chopped
6 cups whole milk
1/3 cup creme fraiche, whisked
1 bunch chives, snipped into small pieces
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 crusty baguette, to serve

Instructions:

1. Place oil and butter into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots and chopped garlic and season with salt. Cook, stirring, for about five minutes or until softened. Add the roasted pumpkin and cover the pan, shaking it occasionally to toss the ingredients, about ten minutes.

2. Pour in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to low and simmering for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is quite tender. Expect the milk to curdle, but that issue is resolved once you blend the soup.

3. Transfer the mixture into a large blender and puree until smooth and thick. Season to taste.

4. Ladle soup into bowls, top with a scoop of creme fraiche and sprinkle with chives and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with a crusty baguette.

   Buon appetito!
   

Have you ever tried, made, or want to make French pumpkin soup? Do you have a favorite soup recipe? I want to hear about it. Leave your comments in the section below.