Easy Roasted Pumpkin Soup & Vegetarian Sandwich
Pumpkin Soup:
Recommended Videos
For roasting the squash:
2-3 acorn squash (or use a variety of your favorite squash)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
a few sprigs fresh thyme
Preheat your oven to 400˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the squash in half, scoop out and discard the seeds. Drizzle the cut-side of the squash with olive oil, sprinkle with brown sugar and season with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and spices over the flesh to make sure they are evenly coated. Place the squash, flesh side down, on the baking sheet, tucking sprigs of thyme under each squash. Roast until the squash are tender to a knife tip, about 40-55 minutes, depending on the type of squash you’re using. Remove the cooked squash, allow to cool and scrap out the flesh for the soup. Discard the skin and thyme sprigs.
For the Pumpkin Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock, more as needed
2 tablespoons heavy cream
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For serving:
sour cream
toasted pumpkin seeds
Heat the olive oil and butter in a pot. Add the shallot, garlic and ginger and cook until softened. Add the chicken stock into the pan, heat through. Add the roasted squash into the pot with a big pinch of salt, cook for 5-8 minutes to marry the flavors. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. If using a regular blender work in batches and be careful as hot liquid can splatter. If you want your soup a little thinner, add more chicken stock. Stir in the heavy cream, heat through. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Serve with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.
The Vegetarian Sandwich:
2 slices of your favorite grainy seedy bread
2 tablespoons Dijon mayonnaise (recipe below)
¼ cup Haas avocado, smashed with a fork
10-12 very thin long slices of carrot (using a mandolin)
olive oil, for drizzling
pinch kosher salt
8-10 slices pickled radish (recipe below)
¼ cup alfalfa sprouts
3-4 slices white Amish cheddar cheese, sliced about ¼-inch thick
Toast the bread. Place equal amounts of mayonnaise on each side of the bread. Spread the smashed avocado on one side of the bread. Toss the carrots in a drizzle of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Place the carrots on the avocado, pressing to stick the vegetables to the avocado. Top the carrots with the pickled radishes, then add the sprouts and top with the cheese. Close the sandwich, cut in half and serve.
Pickled Radishes:
1½ cups thinly sliced radishes, about ¼-inch thick
1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ tablespoon mustard seeds
½ tablespoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorn
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
Place the radishes in a bowl set over a bowl of ice. Combine the vinegar, mustard seed, fennel seed, peppercorns, sugar, kosher salt and bay leaf in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from the heat and strain the pickling liquid through a fine mesh strainer over the radishes. Discard the aromatics. Make sure all of the radishes are covered by the pickling liquid. Allow to sit for five minutes then strain the radishes. Discard the pickling liquid. Store the radishes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Dijon Mayonnaise:
½ cup of your favorite mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
pinch salt
Mix together.