This warming pumpkin ginger soup is richly flavored with onion, apples, and sage, making it taste like Thanksgiving in a bowl.
By Yankee Magazine
Oct 02 2016
Pumpkin Ginger Soup
Photo Credit : Heath RobbinsThis warming pumpkin ginger soup is richly flavored with onion, apples, and sage, making it taste like Thanksgiving in a bowl.
1 tablespoon salted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large sweet apple, such as Pink Lady or Golden Delicious, diced
2 cans (15 oz. each) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin-pie filling)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
4 cups (1 quart) reduced-sodium chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
Melt the butter with the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, 6 minutes. Add the apple and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and chicken stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the garnish: Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat, turning occasionally for even cooking, until crisp on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Remove the bacon to drain on paper towels, reserving the fat in the pan. Increase the heat to medium and add the sage. Cook, turning once, until the leaves are crisp, about 5 seconds per side. Remove immediately from the pan, and crumble the sage and bacon together. Set aside.
Remove the bay leaves from the soup and process in a blender in two batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the cream, and check the seasoning; if needed, add the remaining salt. Serve the hot pumpkin ginger soup in bowls and garnish with the bacon/sage topping.
5 slices bacon
12 fresh sage leaves