Roasted Sugar Pumpkin and Apple Soup

I made this soup earlier this week with sugar pumpkins from a farmers' market. The recipe is simple and can be easily tailored to your own flavor preferences!

2 small sugar pumpkins (about 2 lbs. each), stems removed, cut in half, and pulp removed
1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 clove of fresh garlic
1 medium apple (I used a Macoun, you could use a Granny Smith if you want more of a tart flavor), cored and diced
6 c. low-sodium chicken stock
few dashes of nutmeg
few dashes of ginger
salt and pepper to taste
plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Toss the pumpkin halves with the olive oil and place the pumpkin halves in a pan (you may need two, depending on their size). I like to place them cut side down. Roast until they can be easily pierced with a knife (about 45 mins). Remove them from the oven, turn the oven off, and let them cool.

2. While the pumpkins are cooling, heat the 2 Tbsp. oil in a large pot. Add the onions, and saute them until they are translucent.

3. While the onions are cooking, if the pumpkins are cool enough, remove their skins and dice them.

4. Add the diced pumpkin, garlic, and apple to the pot. Add in the spices. You may use cinnamon in addition to (or instead of) the nutmeg and ginger if you would like. Allspice, mace, cloves, or curry powder would also be great additions!

5. Pour in the chicken stock, and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Once it's boiling, turn down the heat. Let the soup simmer for 45 mins. to an hour to let the flavors meld together.

7. Remove the pan from the heat, and use an immersion blender to turn the chunky mixture into a lovely, velvety one! Your pot should be less than halfway full, so that you don't splash yourself with the very hot soup. If your pot is not big enough, pour the soup into a larger vessel. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a masher instead. You can also use a blender, but you will have to do it in batches. Do not fill your blender more than halfway! Hot liquids will expand too much, and the top will fly off. You don't want to get burned!

8. Put the blended soup back on the stove, and bring it back up to temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Ladle into bowls. For a fancier presentation, swirl in a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream. Serve and enjoy!

Curried Carrot Soup

When the rain pours down and the wind whips and howls like it has been all week, I love making this simple, delicious soup!

Put a deep sauce pan on the stove, and pour a tablespoon of olive oil into it. Turn the heat on to medium-low. Then peel and dice half of a medium onion. Add it to the pot. In the meantime, peel and dice a pound of carrots. When the onion is translucent, add the carrots to the pot. At this point, you can also add a teaspoon of minced garlic and a knob of ginger (peel it first). I like to add both! Add a few grinds of fresh pepper, and a few shakes of crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicier).

Pour enough chicken stock over the carrots to just cover them. If you like your soup a little thinner, add enough to cover them by an inch to an inch and a half.

Turn the heat up to high, and boil until the carrots are soft when pierced with a knife. Take the pot off the heat, and place on a trivet or wooden cutting board. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or do it in *small* batches in a blender (it will rapidly expand when you turn it on). Be careful, the mixture is very hot! (If you're using an immersion blender, don't place it against the bottom but don't lift it too high in the mixture either or it will splash everywhere.)

Once blended, return the pot to the stove. Add a tablespoon or two (depending on how hot you like it) of curry powder. I usually use the yellow blend, but the red is great as well (it's just hotter)! If you like a milder or creamier soup, you can stir in a half cup or so of plain yogurt, sour cream, or milk at this point as well. Salt to taste, and simmer to blend all the flavors together (at least ten minutes).

Serve and enjoy!