Pumpkin and Roasted Garlic Soup

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Pumpkin and Roasted Garlic Soup

 

Recipe By : California Home Cooking by Michele Anna Jordan

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Sda-Veg-Recipes2 (AT) Egroups (DOT) Com Soups & Stews

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 medium/large sugar pumpkin, seeded and cut into -- large chunks

Olive oil

3 allspice berries, preferably or -- 3 cloves

1 2-inch stick cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion -- minced

1 teaspoon chipotle powder or 1 dried chipotle -- minced

1/4 cup Roasted Garlic Puree (recipe follows)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 cups half and half

Kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill

Croutons (recipe follows) or fresh bread -- crumbs

roasted

Roasted Garlic Puree

2 heads (2 or 3) garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Croutons

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic -- pressed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill

3 cups cubes from day-old county-style bread

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread out the pumpkin pieces on a baking

sheet and brush each piece with olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the

pumpkin is completely tender. Remove the pumpkin form the oven and let it

cool.

 

When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, remove the skin from several

pieces and place the flesh in a bowl. Reserve the skins. With a fork, mash

the flesh into a fine pulp. Continue until you have 2 cups of pulp. Set the

pulp aside.

 

Make a pumpkin stock: Put the remaining pumpkin pieces, the reserved skins,

the allspice berries, and the cinnamon in a large heavy stockpot. Add water

to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer

gently for about 1 ½ hours, adding more water if necessary, until the broth

is fragrant with the aroma of, and tastes like, pumpkin. Remove the stock

from the heat, strain it, and return the liquid to the clean pot. Over high

heat, reduce the liquid until you have about 3 cups of pumpkin stock. Set

the stock aside.

 

Melt the butter in a large heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion,

and sauté it until it is very soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Stir in

the chipotle, the pumpkin pulp, the pumpkin stock, the roasted garlic puree,

and the ginger. Reduce the heat to very low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add

the half-and-half, and heat through but do not bring to a boil again. Taste,

and season with salt and pepper.

 

To serve, ladle into warmed soup bowls and top each portion with 2 croutons

or a spoonful of toasted bread crumbs. Serve immediately.

 

Roasted Garlic Puree:

Preheat the over to 325 degrees F. Clean the garlic, leaving the bulb intact

but removing any dirt that may cling to the roots and as much of the dry

outer skin as will come off easily. Place the garlic in a small ovenproof

dish or pan, add the olive oil and water, and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the dish, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the garlic is quite

soft. Remove from the oven, transfer the garlic to absorbent paper, and let

it cool. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, place a head on a cutting

board, remove the root, and use the heel of your hand to press out the

garlic pulp. If necessary, squeeze out the pulp clove by clove. Scrape the

pulp off the cutting board, place it in a small bowl, and mash it with a

fork until it is smooth. Each bulb will yield about 2 tablespoons of puree.

Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 4 days.

 

Croutons:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a large glass jar or other lidded

container, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, and several turns of pepper.

Add the bread cubes, close the container, and shake vigorously until the

bread has absorbed all of the oil and the cubes are evenly coated. Spread

the bread cubes over a baking sheet, and bake them until they are dry and

slightly golden, about 25 minutes. Let the croutons cool, and use them

immediately or store them in an airtight container.

 

Variations:

To make Black Pepper Croutons, use 2 teaspoons black pepper.

 

To make Dry Jack Croutons, add ¼ cup (1 ounce) finely grated dry jack cheese

to the jar after the oil has been absorbed, and close and shake the jar

again

 

 

 

 

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