roasted
pumpkin
soup with
chorizo

1 4lb pumpkin pie squash

1/2 of a yellow onion

1 head of garlic

2c vegetable stock

2tbsp dry sherry

4tbsp maple syrup

1/2tsp nutmeg

1/4tsp cayenne

2tsp fresh rosemary - chopped

2tsp fresh thyme - chopped

1/2c heavy cream

AN olive oil

AN kosher salt

AN freshly ground black pepper

1lb ground chorizo sausage

ingredients

yield: 8 cups

cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

course: soup

a warm and velvety fall soup topped with spicy chorizo

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Quarter your pumpkin and discard the stem. Using a spoon, scrape out all the seeds and pulp. Place each piece, skin side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet, coat with olive oil, and season with salt. Roast in the oven for an hour or until the flesh is fork-tender.

3. Peel away a few outer layers of papery skin from the garlic bulb, leaving the skins on the individual cloves intact. Slice about ½ inch off the top to expose the cloves. Place the bulb on a piece of foil large enough to wrap it completely. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Loosely wrap the foil around the garlic, fully enclosing it without pressing too tightly. Place directly on the oven rack and roast for 45–50 minutes, until the cloves are soft and lightly browned.

4. Cut the onion into a large dice and spread it out onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat and season with a pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

5. Let the garlic, onion, and pumpkin cool before handling. Gently peel the skin off the pumpkin and discard. Cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces, then transfer to the bowl of your blender. To easily remove the garlic from its skin, pinch the base of the bulb to squeeze the cloves out. Add 4 cloves of garlic and the roasted onion to your blender.

6. Add the remaining ingredients (except for heavy cream and chorizo) to the bowl of your blender, then blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. When ready to serve, transfer your purée to a large pot and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the heavy cream. Beware of splatters!

8. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo with a splash of olive oil to the pan and cook while breaking it up into pieces with your spatula. Continue to cook until browned and slightly crispy.

9. Ladle your soup into bowls, top with chorizo, and enjoy.

process

Words cannot explain how happy I was to spot pumpkins at the grocery store this week. Sure, it might feel a little early for such a fall-themed recipe, but I don’t care—I had to! Besides, it’s been a bit chilly here in Boulder, and that’s reason enough. I promise not to break out the Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving.

When you head to the store, don’t grab the first, biggest pumpkin you see—it won’t be delicious. Skip the carving pumpkins and head towards the pumpkin pie squash or sugar pumpkins. As the name suggests, this is the variety typically used for pumpkin pie and other culinary pursuits. They’re smaller, sweeter, and less stringy than the bland, oversized jack-o’-lanterns. You could also go with butternut or acorn squash, which are often easier to prepare. No matter which you choose—pumpkin pie, butternut, or acorn—they all pair surprisingly well with chorizo. Sweet and spicy, smooth and a little crunchy, earthy and smoky—all classic flavor combinations found in this pairing.

And please don’t toss the seeds after cleaning out your pumpkin. Separate them from the pulp, wash and dry them thoroughly, then toss them with olive oil and your favorite seasoning. Roast at 325°F for 15–20 minutes, and you’ve got a snack that works on its own, in a salad, mixed into granola, or even as a garnish for your soup.

One more tip: roasted garlic. It’s an easy swap for raw garlic in almost any recipe, and it completely transforms the flavor. Roasting softens that sharp, spicy bite of raw garlic and caramelizes the sugars, creating a nutty, complex sweetness. The cloves turn soft and spreadable—perfect for smearing on toast or mashing into just about anything.

Thank you for being here! Enjoy!

roasted pumpkin soup with chorizo