Blueberries and Lobster

Yesterday, while the weather was busy snowing and sleeting and generally causing unhappiness for travellers, I spent the day in the kitchen. I emptied out the chicken carcasses I’d been saving in the freezer and made chicken stock; what better use for a cold, wintery day than eight hours of simmering chicken bones?

I also made a new pumpkin soup. This one’s a new one for me — usually pumpkin soups are sweet affairs in this household. I like this one, though! It’s hearty and rustic and warming. Don’t bother chopping anything too finely in the beginning, since you will just hit it with the stick blender later. Same goes for the roasted pumpkin — unlike many pumpkin puree recipes, there is no need to take it for a spin in the food processor before using.

I served it with toasted pumpkin seeds (following Elise’s recipe) and my new favorite cornbread.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup
Adapted and greatly simplified from Smitten Kitchen

Split a medium (~5 lb.) pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scrape stringy bits, reserving seeds. Roast, cut side down, in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Into a soup pot goes:
2 T. butter
2 T. bacon grease (or olive oil)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped into 2-3 pieces
1 T. ground cumin

Cook on medium low, stirring, until onion is translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add:
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes (just dump the whole thing in, no chopping or draining)

Cook and stir until everything is heated through. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh directly into the soup pot. Add flavorful liquid to cover — I used a combination of veggie broth and water, about 4-6 cups in total.

Simmer until the pumpkin really falls apart, maybe 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and hit the mixture with a stick blender until blended to your preference.