Pumpkin Soup with Sizzled Sage
In the mood for more squash? Good, because we still haven’t put a dent in our stockpile, which is now overtaking three full pantry shelves. Time to thin the herd. This week I got started with a recipe I’ve seen kicking around food magazines and the web for a few years.
I think it’s the words “sizzled sage” that make this one so appealing (yep, I’m a big sucker for alliteration). Plus it’s pure fall stuff: orange-y pumpkin soup decked out with nutmeg and crunchy sage leaves.
What’s not appealing? Scorched sage. Turns out the line between “sizzled” and “burnt-to-a-crisp” is mighty fine. I swear, I only took my eye off the stove for one second — and suddenly my little sage leaves shriveled up into smoking black crisps. Blech! Curses!
Luckily, I had enough sage on hand to attempt a second batch, this time ready to snap off the heat the second the leaves began to darken and curl.
A dab of goat cheese was another in my series of last minute inspirations. Because really, you just can’t go wrong with goat cheese.
Pumpkin Soup with Sizzled Sage
1 medium pie pumpkin (about 3 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
20 sage leaves, sliced diagonally
2 tsp. cider vinegar
5 cups vegetable stock
3 Tbs butter, plus 2 tsp
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Fresh goat cheese for garnish
1. Melt 3 Tbs of butter in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent and fragrant, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and cubed pumpkin and bring to a light simmer.
2. Simmer until the pumpkin is very tender and pierces easily with a fork, about 15 – 20 minutes. Stir in the salt, cider vinegar, nutmeg and lower the heat. Cook for another 5 minutes while you get your food processor ready to go.
3. Puree the soup in batches. You’re aiming for a silky, slightly thicker soup, so it’s ok to have some extra broth left over. Transfer the pureed soup back into a soup pot and keep warm over low heat.
4. Melt 2 tbs of butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and gently sauté them, stirring occasionally, until they are JUST beginning to darken and curl up a little.
5. Serve garnished with sage leaves, nutmeg and fresh goat cheese.
Serves 2 - 3
Hmm, I wonder what else you can sizzle?
This soup looks so good - was it a little sweet or not at all? I’d guess by the vinegar and salt that it wasn’t, but you never know with squash.
— MeganIt wasn’t too sweet, which had to do with using pumpkin. Most recipes I see call for butternut, which would add more sweetness. So that said, I know you’d totally like it.
— Erin