liquid gold

 Halloween crept up so fast this year.  I didn't even see it coming, and POOF, it was already gone.  But I still have its lingering reminder in my refrigerator.  A pot of  pumpkin sage soup; creamy and satisfying, as only winter squash soup can be.  And golden, as liquid gold!

But before the pumpkin soup in my fridge, there was a party.

My current home is neatly tucked away in a rather lush corner of Oak Bay, a suburb of Victoria that is really its own municipality.  As the name suggests, Oak Bay is overgrown with Oak trees.  Gerry Oaks, to be precise, with their gnarly, twisted branches, that are covered with moss and lichen because the moist air and proximate ocean tend to make everything here green-tinged and mossy.  All these twisted Oak trees against the incredible Victoria sky, make for a dramatic landscape.  Particularly at dusk, or on those dewy mornings when the raising sun illuminates the fog and all is enveloped in soft pink mist.

Another thing about my lovely hidden corner of Oak Bay is that it is rather dark.  There are no streetlights at my end of the road and I often stumble home in the dark, my pace quick but careful, expecting the unexpected.  No, its not entirely pleasant and can be a little spooky, so coming home one night it occurred to me that my home would be the perfect site for a Halloween party - I won't even need to decorate!, I thought.  So I sent out some invites, and asked my guests for carved pumpkins as the ticket in. "Let's illuminate this dark Oak Bay corner," I called.  The vision of Jack-o-Lanterns strewn all over the lawn was too good to pass.  And I certainly didn't have time to carve all those pumpkins myself.

The party came and went.  It was wonderful, though the vision of my illuminated lawn didn't quite materialize because pumpkins sold out in Victoria.  Yes! Pumpkins. Sold. Out. On Halloween. I, the host, didn't even have a pumpkin to carve! That's what I get for waiting to the last minute, I suppose.  Luckily, Marc Oliver exudes positivity and even though he was not so keen on carving pumpkins and dressing up to begin with (Halloween is not a tradition in Germany), the sight of my disappointed face stirred some serious creativity and he was running around, decorating with other means and with all his might.  Also, some of my friends were more organized and there were a few carved pumpkins to reminds us of the fact that this was indeed a Halloween Party.  Not to mention the fantastic costumes that those with a great sense of Halloween-spirit came clad in.  Those, of course, were the other reminder.

After the party, I was left with some Jack-o-Lanterns to compost but also with a rather large pumpkin that was uncarved.  The next day, still very full of the yummy snacks and the apricot brandy cocktails from the night before, soup was all I dreamed of. So, pumpkin soup it was.  And this one was delicious! 

I topped it off with some roasted pumpkin seeds and spelt bread-olive oil croutons.  To make it even more velvety, I added some chilled thickened coconut milk (in lieu of cream). Try it! If there are no pumpkins left in your neighbourhood store, try it with any other squash. I think butternut would be best.  Or wait til next year, but don't wait too long, the pumpkins may just sell out again!

Cream of Roasted Pumpkin and Sage Soup

1 medium size pumpkin
1 white onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of white wine
2-3 cups herb or veggie stock
1T dried sage, or 2-3T fresh sage
1t dried thyme
coarse sea salt
bay leaf or 2
ground black pepper
olive oil, about 1/3 cup
1/2 cup coconut milk

seed (reserve the seeds) and chop the pumpkin into large pieces, leave the skin on. place on oiled baking sheet - you'll probably need two, or just do it in two batches.
brush some olive oil on the pumpkin pieces and sprinkle some coarse salt.
roast in the oven, at high heat for about 20-25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft and edges blackened.

   peel the skin - it should come of easily now.  chop into smaller pieces and set aside in a bowl.

in a large pot, heat some olive oil and saute the onions and garlic.  when onions become translucent and garlic fragrant and golden,  splash some of the wine, to deglaze the pot and release the flavours.   add some herbs and add the pumpkin. add the remaining wine, the stock, the bay leaf.

simmer on low to medium heat for about 20minutes. 

 

while the soup is simmering, rinse the pumpkin seeds.  tap dry with a tea towel, toss with some olive oil, smoked or regular paprika and some sea salt.  place on the baking sheet and bake for 20minutes or so.  set aside and use as garnish (or just enjoy as a snack).

set aside to cool a little.  after 10 minutes or so, transfer the pumpkin, some broth and coconut milk into a food processor, or using a hand blender, blend until smooth and creamy.

taste and adjust flavouring. you may add more salt and black pepper, but it is important to do this after the soup is blended, as blending all that pumpkin will change the flavour of the broth.  pumpkin itself is not all that flavourful and it is a bit on a sweet side.  this is a savory soup, so season it accordingly once the blending is done.  but don't over do it, it should still taste like pumpkin!

serve garnished with chunky croutons, roasted pumpkin seeds, a dollop of coconut cream and some fresh sage leaves.  it is also delicious with a generous squeeze of balsamic cream (or your own home made balsamic reduction).