Pumpkin Soup with Wild Mushrooms

 A nice hearty purely vegetable soup made with a mushroom stock

Ingredients- pumpkin from last season stored in the basement

 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 TBS olive oil
2 cups yellow onions, sliced
1 cup leeks, white and light green parts
1 TBS garlic, minced
2 pounds fresh pumpkin, to measure 5 cups peeled and cubed
1 TBS honey
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp fresh sage, minced (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 quart mushroom stock- recipe follows- can use chicken stock
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper
dry sherry -optional
garnish with fresh mushrooms and chives if you want to

pumpkin soup mise en place

Method:

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup warm water. Submerge them completely and let stand for 1 hour.  Remove mushrooms, strain liquid and reserve. Chop the mushrooms
In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil.
Add the onions, leeks and garlic and saute until soft and lightly brown
Add the chopped porcini and saute another 2 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, honey, sage, cloves, lemon juice, stock and the porcini-soaking liquid.
Simmer for 30 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.

add the pumpkin

Transfer to a food processor and puree, in batches.

Return the puree to the saucepan 

Add the milk and cream.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bring back just to a simmer

Add sherry just before serving if desired

Garnish with sautéed mushrooms and chives if desired

ready to serve

Mushroom stock:
This was fun to make mushroom stock from scratch.  It is full of flavor.  You don't need to have perfectly fresh mushrooms but you do need a lot of them.  This made 5 quarts of mushroom stock.  I used 1 quart for the pumpkin soup and froze 4 quarts for later:

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/4 pound unsalted butter
5-6 pounds fresh mushrooms, chopped
6 cups onions, chopped
1/4 cup garlic, chopped
1 oz dried porcini or other "wild" mushrooms, soaked, strained and chopped
3 cups carrots, chopped
3 large bay leaves
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
3 cups canned diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups dry white wine
6 quarts water

mushroom stock mise en place

In a stockpot - 12 quart stockpot if you have one  melt the butter and saute the mushrooms in small batches until they are well browned, almost crisp.  Set aside
Add a bit more butter to the stockpot and saute the onions, garlic, dried mushrooms and carrots until lightly browned
Add the herbs, peppercorns, tomatoes, wine and water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for 1 hour.
Strain pushing down on the solids and chill.
Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 months.

sauté mushrooms at about a pound at a time

makes a whole lot of stock

inspired by and modified from John Ash's book "From the Earth to the Table"

Bon Appetit!