Don’t use all your pumpkins for pie and Jack-o-lanterns. Save one for this savory pumpkin soup spiced with garlic, bay and thyme. The nice thing about this soup is it is made without cream.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 leeks, white part only, sliced and thoroughly rinsed
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced, peeled pumpkin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper,
  • 3 tablespoons sherry

Instructions

  1. Wrap the bay leaf, thyme sprigs and sage leaves together into a bouquet garni using cheesecloth, so that it can be removed easily at the end of the cooking time.
  2. In a stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, celery and onion. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, herbs and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and cooked through.
  3. Remove the bouquet garni. Purée the soup with a handheld immersion blender until no lumps remain. If necessary, pass the soup through a sieve.
  4. Return the soup to the pot and add the sherry. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
  5. Serve in warmed soup bowls with croutons or a swirl of cream.