Pumpkin Soup – New Hampshire

Cathy: When I think of New Hampshire, I think of beautiful autumnal leaves, crisp air and a log fire. We were fortunate enough to live in New England for a time and would take short trips up to New Hampshire for the weekend. We attended a small wedding there – colleagues from the Ritz Carlton where I was working at the time. What a gorgeous quaint setting at a small old New England church.

Pumpkins are the official state fruit of New Hampshire, so in the fall there are many pumpkin festivals throughout, featuring everything pumpkin – Pumpkin Woopie Pies, cheesecake, pie and ice cream.

Pumpkin is actually a winter squash and can be used in many non-sweet dishes, like soup. One of the most delicious dishes I’ve made is a pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage – to die for. For this soup recipe, I was able to use pumpkin puree from my garden, that I harvested in the fall, and stored in the freezer.

This recipe is about the easiest soup recipe that I’ve ever used – just veg and stock and herbs and a little heavy cream. You let it simmer for a while and puree if you like a smooth consistency. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Makes 8-10 servings Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 1 hour or more, depending on consistency

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste – depends on the salt content in your stock)
• 4 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned – NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 heavy whipping cream (to taste – I only added 1/4 cup)
• 5 whole black peppercorns

1. Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes (or more – until desired consistency) uncovered.
2. Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or blender.
3. Return to pan, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir in heavy cream. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

Recipe inspired by www.allrecipes.com