Over a decade ago, my friends, Ben and Ken, had a fabulous fall dinner party in their backyard and each guest was assigned something to bring. I was assigned the soup course. I knew immediately I wanted to bring this soup.
Adding apples and carrots creates a sweetness and depth of flavor. Yes, you can leave them out. That is the glory of cooking, everything is optional. If you do leave them out, I might would add maple syrup. It needs a touch of sweetness. An important layer of flavor is the roasted garlic. When roasted, the garlic turns into a buttery, sweet paste that adds that unexplainable goodness.
You have to taste the soup. After you have blended it smooth, taste. Today, my pumpkins were not as sweet as I would have liked so I added some maple syrup. Honey would have worked well too. An immersion blender works well, but make sure to really blend it well. Lumpy pumpkin soup is not very good.
I totally suggest keeping the pumpkin seeds and roasting them. Toss them with olive oil and your favorite spices- I use garlic powder, celery salt, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and salt. Roast them on 350 for 15 minutes, shaking the baking sheet a few times during cooking.
There may be a fancy name for the small orange pumpkins I use, but I have always just called them pie pumpkins. Don't get a carving pumpkin. The smaller pumpkins are sweeter and best for the soup.
I love to pair this with a buttery Chardonnay.
Make this recipe your own. Add cayenne pepper for a little heat or add maple syrup for more sweetness. You could even drizzle the top with a balsamic glaze. Top with roasted pumpkin seeds. Lots of options!
