Ingredients :
1 small pumpkin – peeled, deseeded, and cubed (use 6 cups of pumpkin cubes)
2 tbsp butter - softened
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 bay leaves
1 yellow onion – chopped roughly
3-4 garlic cloves - crushed
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (add cold to blender)
1 tsp of Season with Spice's ground ancho chili pepper
Salt to taste
Toasted pecans (optional) - crushed
Process :
1. Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds and pulp. Then peel pumpkin (I find it easiest to cut pumpkin into 1-inch wide slices first, then peel skin with a sharp knife), and chop into cubes. Place pumpkin, along with onion and garlic, into a metal bowl.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Mix butter, olive oil, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Then pour over pumpkin cubes and mix well.
4. Place the pumpkin cubes flat on a baking pan – use a plastic spatula to ensure all the liquid is transferred from the bowl to the pan. Tear the bay leaves into 4 pieces each and place between pumpkin cubes. Put baking pan into oven and roast for 30 minutes, or until pumpkin cubes are softened.
5. Add cold chicken broth to blender. Then add in the cooked pumpkin – again using a plastic spatula to ensure all the liquid is transferred. Blend to desired consistency, and transfer to a pot on the stove.
6. Heat soup to a simmer, and stir in ground ancho chili pepper, black pepper, and salt (and crushed pecans, if using). When thickened to desired texture, serve hot with a side of bread.
