Nadia's Pumpkin Soup

By á-170456

Ingredients

• HOMEMADE BEEF BROTH:
• 3 pounds meaty soup bones
• 1 carrot peeled
• 1 celery rib with leaves
• 1 ripe Roma tomato
• 1 onion unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon salt - (to 2)
• SOUP:
• 3 pounds dense pumpkin (or use a mix of kabocha or butternut squash and pumpkin)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery with leaves
• 1 quart Homemade Beef Broth (listed above)
• Sea salt to taste
• Freshly-ground white pepper to taste
• TOPPINGS:
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Parmigiano-Reggiano grated
• Fresh sage chopped
• Toasted fresh bread crumbs
• Coarse sea salt

Preparation

Step 1

For the Homemade Beef Broth: Place broth ingredients except for salt in a deep pot. Pour water into pot to cover meat and vegetables. Over medium heat, bring broth almost to a boil, skimming off foam as it rises. Reduce heat to low and simmer broth partly covered 2 to 3 hours. Strain broth, discard solids and add salt to taste. Cool broth uncovered and refrigerate to allow fat to congeal. Discard fat before using broth. (Makes 6 cups)

Peel and seed pumpkin and cut into 2-inch chunks.

In a large, deep pot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, add onions and celery and saute until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin chunks, season with salt and saute 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.

Add 2 cups of broth and simmer until broth is almost absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add 2 more cups of broth and cook soup partly covered until pumpkin is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Puree or pass the soup through a food mill. Add water if soup is too thick. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Heat soup and serve with a healthy drizzle of flavorful olive oil, a sprinkling of cheese, sage, toasted bread crumbs and a little coarse salt.

This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.