Pumpkin Bisque

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Medium Sweet Onion, quartered
1 Carrot
2 Stalks Celery, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic
4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
2 Medium Tomatoes
2 Bay Leaves*
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger
2 Cups Pumpkin Puree
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Salted Tablespoons Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1 - Saute onion, celery, carrot and garlic in stock pot with olive oil and sauté until carmelized (beginning to brown).

2 - Deglaze with a little of the chicken stock by pouring in and scraping up all the yummy, flavorful bits.

3 - Add remainin ingredients, except cream and butter, or at this point you can move it to a crock pot and let it do the work for you.

4 - If cooking in crock pot, allow to cook on low for about eight hours. If preparing on stovetop, cook for about an hour or until all veggies are soft.

5 - After veggies are soft, stir in cream and butter.

6 - TAKE OUT BAY LEAVES and Run through blender or use hand blender to puree. You can strain for a lighter, silkier texture but I usually do not bother with that step.

~ Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds and crusty pumpkernickel bread! ~



*This year, due to late frost, my herbs were alive much later so I used a bouquet garni in the place of bay leaves. The results were good.

HEALTH NOTE:
I have made this without the cream and replaced it with 2% milk and/or coconut milk; both alternatives offer great results. You can also omit the butter altogether, too. As is, this soup is rich, I eat a very small serving of it anyway and I feel like it is worth every last bit of the fat (it is low in calories). See nutritional info, below.


Nutritional data calculated for a 1 cup serving. Recipe makes eleven, 1 cup servings.