Pumpkin Parmesan Soup

– or PP soup as my juvenile delinquents like to call it. Aside from being chockfull of fiber, and brimming with immune-boosting vitamin A, the best thing about pumpkins is that they are fairly non-descript in flavor and take very well to different kinds of treatments. This makes them fun to experiment with, and the results almost always end up edible, or even enjoyable. But out of all the different pumpkin soups I have made, so far this one is my favorite. I made it up on a whim on a Saturday this past November, after having spent the day in our annual, pre-season Ski Patrol OEC refresher. I was tired, didn’t feel at all like cooking, and remember being genuinely amazed at how much I enjoyed it. Since then, it has been a recurring dish on our table, and on others’ tables too – thus the need to make the recipe public. Please bear in mind that – true to the randomness of my cooking style – all amounts are approximate and should be verified by your own taste buds. The recipe is for a fairly moderate batch, but you can easily double it, if you want. It freezes pretty well.

1 small – medium sized, roasted pumpkin or winter squash. I’d bet you almost any gourd will do. In fact in a pinch, canned pumpkin will probably be fine too! If you don’t want to take the time to roast it, simply deseed it and boil in salted water. I find that removing the skin is usually easier after cooking has softened the pumpkin up a bit. When the pumpkin flesh is soft and all skin removed, use a mixing wand to puree it, straight in the pot. By all means, reserve the cooking water for the soup if you chose to boil the pumpkin. After pureeing the pumpkin, I use the water to dilute the soup to desired thickness.

Then add:
1 boullion cube
2-3 cups of water
A pinch of rosemary leaves (fresh or dried). Be careful so you don’t take too much – rosemary can be pretty potent!
Juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon (depending on size)
Approx. 2 cups of fluffy, freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano
2-3 tablespoons cream
Salt and pepper to taste

To finish it off, make a sauce with sour cream, crushed garlic cloves and fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice. I like to make it pretty garlicky (as in 3-4 cloves per cup sour cream), because it adds a really nice sting to the mild, creamy goodness of the soup, but use your own judgement here. Add a spoonful of the garlic sour cream to your steaming soup bowl. Don’t skip this – it really kicks it up a notch!

This soup is pure love on a wet and stormy day, and its intensely yellow color brings the sun back to Portland, even when we haven’t seen the real thing for days on end. A sprinkling of finely chopped parsley on top makes it fit to serve during a Ducks game, if you’re so inclined. Hope you like it!

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