Garden Pumpkin Soup with Goat Cheese Crema and Salted Pepitas

Serves 8 

It feels like fall when you serve up a bowl of our Garden Pumpkin Soup, even if it’s a balmy 75 degrees outside.  Surprisingly, pumpkins are sensitive to cold weather, which is why they thrive in our organic garden here in Southern California. We start planting them around June because they require a long growing season; sometimes it takes up to 100 days before they’re ready to be harvested. The deep orange color of pumpkin paired with the brightness of turmeric combine to make a soup that is as beautiful as it is nutritious.

Goat Cheese Crema

• ½ cup goat cheese, softened
• ¼ cup 2 percent milk

In a high-speed blender, combine the goat cheese and milk and puree until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Salted Pepitas

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Preheat the oven to 350℉. In a small saucepan, add the salt and water. Bring to a boil to dissolve the salt. Remove from the stove. In a small bowl, mix the pepitas and 2 tablespoons of the salt water. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Pumpkin Soup

• 1 garden pumpkin (about 10 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• 2 smashed garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 herb sachet (2 bay leaves and a 3-4 thyme sprigs wrapped in cheesecloth and tied with butcher’s twine)
• ½ cup white wine (we recommend using Chardonnay)
• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 400℉. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Rub the inside of the pumpkin with olive oil and place on a baking sheet cut side down. Roast the pumpkin for 30 minutes, or until extremely soft. Scoop the pumpkin meat from the skins and reserve for making the soup. The cooked pumpkin should equal about 6 cups.

In a large stock pot over medium heat, warm the grapeseed oil. Add the onions, carrots, garlic and sea salt and saute for 4-6 minutes or until the onions have become translucent. Add the turmeric and thyme-bay leaf sachet and deglaze with white wine, stirring to pick up the flavorful bits of food stuck to the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the wine is reduced by half. Add the roasted pumpkin, vegetable stock and honey. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the herb sachet and strain the solids (pumpkin and vegetables) from the liquid, reserving both to puree in small batches. 

In a high-speed blender, add a third of the pumpkin mixture and just enough of the reserved stock to cover. Puree until completely smooth. Repeat this process until all of the soup is pureed and the desired consistency is achieved. Strain the pureed soup through a fine-mesh sieve. Return to the stock pot and warm. Adjust the seasoning with salt to taste.  Serve each bowl with a dollop of Goat Cheese Crema and a few Salted Pepitas sprinkled on top.

Tip: Although this recipe doesn’t call for them, it’s not necessary to throw away your pumpkin guts. They can be prepared into stock and used for just about any other soup. 

View more recipes like this in our cookbook, Beautiful Living