Thursday, December 10, 2009

Creamless "Potiron" Soup


The grocery stores are overflowing with all types of squash right now. Potiron, which is the French version of a pumpkin, is the most popular and widely used. The grocery stores will cut and seed a potiron and sell it in quarters which is great when making a smaller quantity of soup. If you can only find a whole pumpkin, it is easy to cut into quarters with a large, sharp knife and keep in the refrigerator for at least a week. You can also freeze part of the pumpkin for later use.

This recipe is inspired by my adoration for the Creamless Butternut Squash Soup that Terry makes at Sage Restaurant in Tallahassee. It is a hearty meal without all the calories. I make this once a week during the Winter and never get tired of it. This soup energizes me like spinach energizes Popeye!

Creamless Pumpkin Soup
serves 4

1/4 medium sized "potiron" or pumpkin, seeded (you could substitute with butternut squash)
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
6-8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put pumpkin quarter on baking sheet and roast until tender. Let cool then scrap out the interior of pumpkin and set aside. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and carrots, cook for 10 minutes. Add roasted pumkin, potatoes, broth and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Blend the soup until smooth. Add honey, nutmeg, pepper and more salt if needed. If soup is too thick, add some water. Let simmer another 30 minutes. Serve with goat cheese or grated swiss cheese and croutons.

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