Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Quarter pumpkins and squash. Scrape out seeds and guts. Cut into wedges, about 4-6” long and 1-2” wide. Try to cut as uniformly as possible.

Spread on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and dried herbs. Be slightly generous here but without having the pumpkin swim in oil.

Roast pumpkin and squash at 400F for 25-30 minutes. You want the pumpkin and squash to be tender to a fork but not overcooked. Allow 5-10 minutes to slightly cool.

Using a cutting board and long knife, slightly flatten each wedge and slowly slice the skin off. Cut each wedge into chunks, about 1” square and place in a large mixing bowl.

Working in batches, blend your soup. Fill blender about 2/3-3/4 full with roughly 1/3 of total pumpkin and squash pieces. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups broth. Blend until very smooth and the blender ‘catches’ and smooths the puree. Add 1 tsp vinegar, 1-2 Tbsp cream and 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Blend until you have a velvety smooth texture. Taste and season as needed.

Repeat 2 more times to finish remaining batches of soup.

Top with pepitas and chili oil. Browned pancetta or bacon would also be a nice addition. If you are feeling extra fancy, use an offset spatula and spread a little soft cheese on the inside wall of your bowl. This allows little bits of cheese to come in with each bite.