Food Thoughts: Pumpkin Soup

It's fall, so naturally everyone is thinking autumnal flavors, especially pumpkin. There's usually only two basic recipes anyone ever thinks of for this plant - pie or soup. While there are many other ways to use pumpkin, soup is probably one of the best forms this veg can take. 

Pumpkin is usually made to be sweet (because of the pie), however, much like cinnamon, it lends itself to hearty dishes. This dual flavor profile is the perfect opportunity to marry this squash with a couple other fall flavors: the cornish game hen and dark beer.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 sweet sugar pumpkin
• 1 and 1/2 cups cornish game hen stock
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 short sticks of rosemary
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream
• 1/3 cup loosely packed parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup julienned parsnip, soaked in cold water
• 4 cornish game hen breast slices
• 1/4 cup dark beer
• 1 tablespoon butter

If you do make your own stock, it should be slightly gelatinous when chilled.

Instructions:

1. Cornish game hen stock can be made by deboning two cornish game hens and separating the breast meat. Sweat a yellow onion, one large carrot and one celery stick until translucent, in a large pot (about 2 gallons) with a bit of olive oil and then add your trimmings from the game hen. Fill the pot with cold water, set on low-medium heat and bring up to a simmer (never let it boil). Skim the stock of fat and scum, and strain after about three hours, reducing the strained stock to concentrate flavor if necessary. Alternately, feel free to use chicken or turkey stock. Best to make the stock a day ahead of making the soup.
2. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. While it's heating, cut your pumpkin vertically into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Place the slices into a roasting pan or casserole dish, and in the small cavity of each pumpkin place a clove of garlic and a stick of rosemary. Add about a half inch of water and cover with foil. Let roast for about an hour or until the pumpkin flesh is soft. This recipe only uses half a pumpkin, however you can roast the whole thing and use the rest for pies, bread or pasta. 
3. Let the pumpkin cool and sweat the onion in olive oil or butter (whichever you prefer). Once the onion is translucent, pour in the stock and one clove of the garlic from the roasting pan, and let this mixture get hot. Once steaming add the pumpkin and mix together. Using an immersion blender (or CAREFULLY working batches using a standard blender) semi-puree the soup, leaving a little bit of onion chunks.
4. Set over medium heat and add the cream. Cook for a few minutes to incorporate and then add cheese, stirring to incorporate completely. Season to your taste and set over low heat to keep warm.
5. In a separate pan, sauté the breast meat, seasoning with salt and pepper, flipping only once. Pull out of the pan and deglaze with the beer and add the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once finished, reserve the sauce to the side.
6. Ladle hot soup into bowls, slice the breast meat thinly, arranging it in the center. Pour the hot beer-butter sauce over the top. Strain the parsnip and then mix together with some chopped rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place this mixture on top of the meat.