Happy Halloween ~ Roasted Pumpkin Soup

There’s nothing more comforting than a thick pumpkin soup on an autumn day. This soup can be a sophisticated first course if you serve it with a dollop of crème fraiche, balsamic vinegar, and some chives on top. Or you can play with your food and make it a whimsical Halloween dish! I think this season, more than any other time of the year, is the time to have fun in the kitchen. 🙂 I dressed up my roasted pumpkin soup for Halloween with a sour cream spider web and a witch’s broom made of a pretzel, a thin slice of Swiss cheese, and a chive.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1 medium sugar pie pumpkin, cut in half and seeded

1 medium onion, cut into approximately 1-inch pieces

3 carrots, peeled, and cut into approximately 1-inch pieces

3 whole garlic cloves, skin removed

Approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (or more for a thinner soup)

Pinch of cayenne

Sour cream, thinned with a little water

Roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss all of the vegetables in olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper over them.

Roast until the vegetables are softened and starting to caramelize, tossing halfway through, approximately 45 minutes.

Remove the pumpkin flesh from the skin and discard the skin. Add all of the roasted vegetables to a soup pot. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.

In a blender, purée the soup in two batches. Strain. Return to the pot to simmer. If you would like a thinner soup, add more stock at this point.

Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of cayenne.

For the spider web garnish, scoop sour cream mixed with a little water into a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip. Pipe a swirl on top of each bowl of soup. With a wooden skewer, drag lines from the center to the outside of the bowl to make the web shape. Add a few roasted pumpkin seeds on top as the finishing touch.