Pumpkin Soup with Shrimp

Cinderella pumpkin is surprisingly easy to cut. You look at the pumpkin and wish you had an axe to deal with it… In reality, it’s an easy job for a good sharp chef's knife. When roasted, it becomes like soft butter. It makes sense to slice the whole pumpkin, roast all the slices at the same time, scrape pumpkin puree into containers, and then cook with it using as needed. You can substitute leeks with onions, but leeks are the best in this soup. Fresh garlic can be substituted with roasted garlic puree. I like adding it raw for some pungency, which becomes very delicate after bringing soup to the final boil before serving. Miso paste can be optional and substituted with more salt, but it’s a secret ingredient in this soup. It adds some depth but is barely recognizable. There are different varieties of miso. Choose your favorite and adjust the amount to your taste. This soup is good without any proteins added, but crustaceans or scallops make it unique. Adding sautéed Gulf of Mexico Brown shrimp or smoked scallops are two of my favorite versions.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash Cinderella pumpkin. Slice it in half, remove seeds, and slice 2" thick. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange slices and favorite herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, etc.), spray them with olive oil, season with black pepper, coarse salt, and brown sugar. Bake for 1 hour. Scrape soft pumpkin flesh and store it in closed containers, refrigerate for 3-4 days, or freeze for later use. Discard pumpkin skin and herbs.

Step 2

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a skillet and sauté leeks until soft and sweet. Measure and add all the ingredients and blend them.

Step 3

In a pot, slowly bring blended mixture to simmer on medium heat, lower the heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes to cook garlic gently. Adjust the taste.

Step 4

Peel and devein shrimp. Melt 1 tbsp butter and sauté shrimp for about 3 minutes (depends on size). Season them with salt.

Step 5

Mix 4 tbsp of heavy whipping cream and 1/2 ladle of soup in a small bowl. Ladle piping hot soup into warm bowls and add the cream mixture, divided. Arrange hot shrimp on top of the soup in each bowl and serve.

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