Pumpkin Bisque

Many people only think of pumpkins around Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving. When I came home today, I really felt the need to make soup. It has been snowing on and off for the last few days - not that it has stayed on the ground for long. Is there anything better than thick, creamy soup to brighten your spirits on a chilly day?

Canned pumpkin puree is the simplest ingredient to transform into soup without all of the fuss and mess of scraping, peeling and cooking. If you want to go completely from scratch, fill your boots. This camper, however, didn't have the time. Be sure if you are using the canned variety that you do not use pumpkin pie filling, which is seasoned and has goodness-knows-what added to it.

A note about chicken vs. turkey stock for this recipe. I avoid chicken because of my food intolerances, plus most commercially available chicken stock (even organic) contains ingredients that I try to avoid. The last time I made a turkey I took the time to make a hearty brown turkey stock. Although I canned most of it using a pressure canner, I also froze a significant amount using ice cube trays. A trick to keeping your stock from getting freezer burned: vacuum seal the stock cubes. If you can have chicken, feel free to substitute this for the turkey stock in the recipe.

If you're feeling really indulgent (like I was today), crumble a tablespoon of sheep's milk feta over the warm soup before serving. The acidity and salt adds a little something special to the soup. If you aren't a fan or can't have dairy just use your imagination. I'm not supposed to have dairy, but some days you just gotta have it!

Wondering "what in the world is Alaea salt??!?" It is a coarse salt that has red dirt from Hawaii in it. It is readily available in supermarkets in Hawaii for about $4/bag. It imparts a lovely, earthy quality (no kidding...it has dirt in it!) to soups, seafood, fish or whatever you happen to be cooking. Don't sweat it if you don't have any on hand. You will just need to add a little more sea salt to the soup.

If you don't know what a chinoise is or don't happen to have one on hand, use a fine mesh strainer to get the job done in the final stages.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bisque

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium sweet onions, finely chopped
1 796ml can pure pumpkin puree
1 400ml can Thai Kitchen lite coconut milk
3 cups turkey stock
dash ground cloves
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp Alaea salt
Fresh ground sea salt (to taste)
1 1/2 oz cognac
Sheep feta for garnish

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Season with sea salt and cook until the onions are very soft and translucent. Pour in the turkey stock and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin puree and coconut milk. Add the spices and more sea salt (to taste). (Bear in mind that you will be reducing the soup so be cautious about over-salting. Easy to add more, not so easy to remove excess.) Let simmer partially covered for 15 minutes over low heat.

Once your soup has reduced and starts to thicken (cover the back of a spoon easily), remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Take the pot off the burner and place the chinoise over the pot. Ladle the soup into the chinoise, pressing gently against the sides to get all of the soup through and back into the pot. Once you have finished this process, return the pot to medium heat and have it simmering gently. Stir in the cognac, add sea salt if necessary and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.

Yield: 4-6 servings