The temperatures are dropping and so is my need to make as much soup as possible for my family. We eat soup all year around but when cold weather hits it just taste better, don’t you agree?

This soup highlights a perfect fall vegetable—the pumpkin. This winter vegetable has a sweet, nutty taste and that flavor makes a perfect canvas for soup. This recipe includes cumin and hot pepper flakes to balance its sweetness and is topped with smoky, crumbled bacon for the perfect finish. Add a salad, some crusty bread, and you have a perfect meal for lunch or dinner.

INGREDIENTS

2 pie pumpkins

Olive oil, Kosher salt and course ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon course ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cups chicken stock

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven 400°F

2. Cut pumpkin in half, horizontal. Scoop our seeds and stringy matter. Drizzle each half with olive oil, Kosher salt and course ground pepper. Bake in 400°F oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender.

3. Add butter and olive oil in medium stock over medium heat, add in onion, celery, carrots, kosher salt, course ground pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes, sauté until vegetables have softened.

4. Remove squash from oven, once cooled scoop flesh out of shell and add to vegetable mixture, add in chicken stock and heat to boil.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend to a smooth, soup consistency. Taste and season as necessary.

6. Serve in a soup bowl and top with smokey, crumbled bacon.

Yields: 8 Servings

Instead of crusty bread, serve with my Mushroom and Sausage Puff Ups, a yummy combination.