Earlier in the day Amber sent me a photo of a pumpkin-flower arrangement that she was working on (you can see this on the first post in this series Fall Tablescapes). This immediately made me think of a few of my favorite fall things: colored leaves falling gently through the air, crisp, cool air, and root vegetables. Yes, that’s right; root vegetables! Of course I could talk for hours about cabbages, kales, and apples. My favorites are just as I said, root vegetables. Whether it be a beet, turnip, parsnip or carrot, for some reason, fall just brings me right to my happy place…roasted veg. So, when deciding our menu, I of course had to pay homage to my sweet little beauties, and so, Spiced Carrot & Pumpkin Bisque was born.
This soup is savory with hints of cumin and cinnamon, that bring warmth and interest to an otherwise canned soup-like experience. This pumpkin and carrot soup is both sweet and savory and will leave you yearning for more!
Spiced Carrot & Pumpkin Bisque
Ingredients:
1 Small pumpkin pie pumpkin
3-4 medium carrots peeled and cut in half
½ Onion peeled and cut into quarters
1 Shallot peeled and cut in half
2 Ribs of celery coarsely chopped
1 Tsp. salt
½ Tsp. black pepper
1/8 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
½ Tsp. Cumin
Quart Chicken stock
1/8 Tsp. Cinnamon
¼ Cup Cream
3 Tbs. Olive oil
*Makes 4 large servings 6 small servings
Instructions:
Clean and cut the pumpkin into four large pieces. Don’t worry about peeling the skin it will fall right off after you roast it. The skin also adds some nice flavor. Brush your pumpkin and halved carrots with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, roast your carrots and pumpkin for 45 minutes at 375.
In medium soup pan, heat 2 tbs. of olive oil and add your onion, shallot, celery, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper. Then peel the skin away from your pumpkin, add your carrots and pumpkin to the pan, 1/8 tsp. of red pepper flakes, and ½ tsp. of cumin. Once your vegetables cook down (should look like the picture below) add a quart of chicken stock (or veggie stock if you are looking for a vegetarian option)
Add another ¼ tsp. of black pepper and ½ tsp. of salt to your soup mixture. Also add 1/8 tsp. of cinnamon and let the mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the stove and pour into a blender (be careful with this hot mixture). Blend until there this a nice silky consistency. Pour soup back into pan and add ¼ cup of cream.Now salt and pepper to taste. You could even add some additional red pepper flakes for extra heat.
We elected to serve this soup with parmesan fricos (crisps) laced with sage. These crisp and salty bites provided a salty edge to the soup, crunchy bite and the sage pared great with the pumpkin without overpowering the entire dish. Fricos are simple to make and only require one ingredient; parmesan cheese (or whichever cheese you like).
Sage Parmesan Fricos
Ingredients:
4 Fresh sage leafs finely chopped
1 Cup parmesan
¼ Tsp. Black Pepper
*Makes 6-8 Fricos
Instructions:
Mix all your ingredients in small bowl. On a non-stick cookie sheet (you can line it with parchment paper too) make small 3in circles of parmesan. Make sure the fricos have space between them on the pan. Bake at 400 for 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on these little buggers! As soon as the edges turn lightly golden brown, it’s time to get them out of the oven! Remove from the cookie sheet and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes prior to serving. The cooler they are the crispier they get!
I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did. For a soup that serves six people, we ate every last drop between four of us! Stay tuned for the next Vintage Ladle post, Fall Apple Galette. This simple pie will leave your guests begging you for more!