3 cups fresh roasted/processed pumpkin
½ cup crumbled bacon
1 chopped onion
4cups chicken stock
4cups 2% milk
8 tbsp. Flour
8 tbsp butter or alternative
4 cloves minced garlic
1 ½ tsp. Ground sage or 1 tbsp. chopped fresh
salt/pepper to taste
Sour cream, sage sprigs for garnish
Basic Pumpkin Preparation
With a sharp knive,Cut the top out of the pumpkin.Scoop out all of the seeds and connective fiber. Taking care, cut the pumpkin into wedges and place them on a cookie sheet. Drizzle the wedges with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper same. Place the pumpkin into a 350 degree oven and roast until fork tender.(About one hour).Remove the roasted pumpkin and allow to cool to room temperature. Next, cut the meat away from the skin and cube. Puree in a food processor and set aside.
Basic soup base preparation
Bring a sauce pan to medium high heat and add the butter/alternative, flour, salt pepper and stir constantly until a blond rue is formed. While mixture is bubbling slowly add the 4 cups of 2% milk. Continue to stir constantly, until mixture thickens. This will take place when the sauce reaches the boiling point.(You have just made a basic cream sauce which can be used in numerous other recipes!!!Remember this basic skill….It will serve you well in the future.)Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the chicken stock. Continue to stir until the mixture is completely blended and again reaches the boiling point. Set aside and prepare onion and bacon mixture.
Onion/Bacon Preparation
In a medium saute pan, add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped onions and saute until the onions are translucent and tender. Next,stir in the crumbled bacon, minced garlic, and sage. Saute an additional 2 minutes. Set aside for final preparation.
Final Soup Preparation
Add the onion and bacon mixture to the soup base. Next ,add the pumpkin to the mixture. Stir until well combined. Place over low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.Serve immediately and garnish with sour cream, roasted pumpkin seeds and a sprig of fresh sage.
Yield:8-10 servings
Prep time:30 minutes
Cook time:1 ½ hours
