Velvety Pumpkin Soup

I cooked dinner tonight with Lisa and Amanda. We made an amazing three course meal, starting with a hearty bowl of pumpkin soup. To my surprise, the girls had never cooked soup before. This recipe was a perfect introduction into the world of soup-making! I think homemade soup is truly a necessity during these cold New England winters. Making your own soup is much easier if you have an immersion blender (also called a hand blender or a stick blender). You can buy a decent one at Target for $25 or less. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup in batches in a regular blender or a food processor. Just be very sure the lid is on tight – hot splattering soup would be a disaster.

Velvety Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 c. low sodium chicken broth
¾ tsp. salt, or to taste
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
¼ c. sour cream
1 T. chopped chives
1/3 c. toasted walnut halves, optional

Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a medium to large saucepan. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, then stir in the pumpkin puree. Mix well and bring to a boil again, and cook for another 5 minutes. Use the immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with a tablespoon of sour cream, a sprinkling of chopped chives, and toasted walnut halves, if you wish.

Note: To toast the walnut halves, sprinkle them with a dash of salt and cayenne pepper and place on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes in a 350° oven. Raw walnuts are too bitter for this recipe, so if you’re not able to toast the walnuts, don’t bother with them at all.