My mom said this was the best soup she’d ever had…truth? Not sure, but maybe ;)
This makes around 8-10 appetizer servings, or 4-5 meal sized servings
1 medium sugar pumpkin (slightly smaller than a cantaloupe)
1 1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 large yellow onion
3/4 cup diced celery root
5 cloves roasted garlic
32 oz. (4 cups) chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes/cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 chopped green onions
1/2 cup brown or wild rice
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup bleu cheese
Parmesan cheese for topping
Peel and dice the entire pumpkin into 1/2 inch cubes. For more complete instructions on handling and preparing pumpkins see my previous post. Set aside half of the pumpkin to be sautéed, and boil the other half until it is mashing consistency. Meanwhile, coat the garlic cloves in olive oil and roast in the oven or toaster oven until soft. Finely chop the onion and celery root. In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onions, celery root, and roasted garlic to the pan, cooking until the onions become soft and translucent and the celery root is lightly browned. Avoid over-stirring as ingredients will not brown. Remove from heat. Place half of the onions and celery root into a blender, along with all of the roasted garlic and boiled pumpkin. Add enough chicken broth to cover (about 1 cup). Blend on high speed until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a saucepan that is at least 3 quarts. The larger the better as it will provide more surface area in contact with heat. Using high heat, place the rest of the diced pumpkin and carrots into the saucepan. Allow the vegetables to sit about 5 minutes between stirring so they have a chance to brown on all sides. Add the remaining onions and celery root to the saucepan, along with grated ginger. Sautee for 3 more minutes. Add pureed pumpkin mixture and remaining chicken broth to saucepan, using medium heat until boiling.
Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Add nutmeg, chili flakes, thyme, green onions, salt and pepper; stir well. Add rice and stir again. Simmer 30 minutes. Add cream cheese and bleu cheese in tablespoon sized chunks. Stir every 1 or 2 minutes until rice is cooked and cheese is melted and incorporated.
Remove from heat; ladle into bowls and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.
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