Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Okay, I have to admit this one surprised me. So don't move on to the next recipe just yet. I was pleasantly surprised at how incredibly tasty this was!! Clark had four bowls of it the first time I made it!! I did make a few changes to the recipe which I've listed below. Enjoy!

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

2 Tbsp. butter
½ yellow onion, sliced thin
½ cup carrots, sliced thin
1 rib of celery, chopped
2 cups canned pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
3 cups of chicken broth
White pepper, to taste
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 cup cream or half and half
½ bunch chives, chopped fine (optional)

In a 4-quart saucepan, sauté the onions in the butter until transparent. Add all other ingredients, except the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft. Place in a blender and carefully puree until completely smooth. Pour back into the saucepan and add the cream. Bring back to a gentle simmer, turn off heat, and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with chives.

Serves 6.

Heather's notes: I used a whole yellow onion, and about 3/4 cup of carrots. Also, I crushed some fresh garlic cloves in with the other veggies. Instead of measuring (and chancing to waste any precious pumpkin puree) I used 2 cans of pumpkin and 2 cans of Swanson's all natural chicken broth. The proportions seemed fine. Instead of cream or half and half, I used 2% milk which was plenty rich. Also, I like crushed black pepper over white pepper, but that's just a personal preference. The second day we had fried some bacon, which we crumbled up and added to the soup. It proved to be a tasty addition. Overall a wonderfully simple Autumn soup!