From Episode 3 of Cafecito Conversations: The Art of the Autumn Kitchen.
One pot, two moods. This is the pumpkin cream soup from the episode: blended smooth, seasoned to taste, and then you decide — keep it skinny, or make it silky and comforting with butter and cream. Same soup, two very different evenings.
It's also the base for the Pumpkin Mac n Cheese, so if you're making that later in the week, make a double batch of this and set some aside.
Pumpkin Cream Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 25 minutes · Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 small sugar pumpkin (about 2½–3 lbs), peeled and cubed (about 4–5 cups)
1 onion, quartered
A small bunch of parsley stems
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chicken bouillon
Water to cover (about 4–5 cups)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the comforting version: ½ stick of butter and ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Boil until tender. In a stock pot, boil the pumpkin, onion, parsley stems, garlic, and bouillon in the water until everything is tender, about 20 minutes.
Blend it smooth. Transfer the solids to a blender, add some of the cooking liquid, and blend until you reach the consistency you like — thicker or thinner, your call.
Finish it your way. Pour it back into the pot, stir, and season to taste. That's the skinny version, and it's done. For the comforting version, stir in the butter and the heavy cream and heat through gently until silky.
P.S: I know, most recipes prefer oven roasted pumpkin but it requires a little extra cooking time that most of us don’t have.
