This is my favourite pumpkin soup.  Its based on a Northwest Coast Cookbook that I don’t own anymore and I can’t remember its title. With the exception of the exact amount of liquid smoke… this soup is not an exact science.  Feel free to improvise and make substitutions.  I have a vague memory of the original involving flour and bacon…but I don’t use those  now.  I usually multiply this recipe as many times as I need to in order to use up all of the baked squash.  It freezes really well and I am always thankful to have it on hand when I become busy.

This pizza is inspired by the potato pizza at Grandaisy bakery in Soho.  It is the most delicious treat and I can’t eat it any more because I cannot eat wheat.  If you live in NYC and can eat wheat you should just go get the real thing from Grandaisy…but my version is not bad at all.  It is gluten-free and I have added  Fennel and goat cheese.  Smokey pumpkin soup and potato pizza with a green salad is a one of my best fall or winter meals.

SMOKEY PUMPKIN SOUP

• 1/3 cup leek (onions or shallots work too)
• 1 carrot
• oil
• 2 and 1/2 cups home-made chicken stock (vegetable stock is delicious also)
• 1 cup of cooked Kabocha pumpkin, pictured above (butternut  is good too)
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 Tablespoon butter (optional)
• 1/3 cup yogurt (optional)
• salt and pepper

1. Pierce the pumpkin or squash a few times with a fork, place it on a baking tray and bake it at 350 degrees.  The amount of time varies, but if you start it first it should all work out.  While the pumpkin bakes make the pizza and come back to the soup later.  I usually wait until I know how many cups of cooked pumpkin I have before I chop the other vegetables for the soup so that I know how many times to multiply the recipe by.  You need one cup of cooked pumpkin per recipes.  So for example, if you have five cups multiply the entire recipe by 5.

   

2. When the pumpkin is soft enough to pierce with a fork with no resistance, slice it in half.  Scoop out and reserve the goop and seeds.  Scoop out and the flesh.  Strain the seeds and goop through a fine sieve and add all of the good juices to the flesh. 
3. Measure the cooked pumpkin and then slice and measure the  right amount of carrots and leeks.  The amounts do not need to be exact.  The picture below  shows about the right proportions.
4. Over medium heat, heat the oil in a large soup pan and saute the leeks and carrots until tender.
5. Add the cooked pumpkin and stock and simmer for a little while
6. Blend the soup
7. Add liquid smoke and butter (if you are using it).  When the butter melts remove from heat .
8. Whisk in the yogurt (if you are using it) and season with salt and pepper.

POTATO PIZZA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND GOAT CHEESE

• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Dough Mix I now have a good gluten free pizza recipe.  To see it click HERE.
• olive oil
• 2 red onions, peeled, cut in half and then thinly sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, greens removed, core cut out, slivered
• 2 russet potato,
• chevre goat cheese
• salt and pepper
• any, all or none of the following- fresh rosemary,fresh thyme, garlic, minced anchovies, red wine

1. Make the prebaked pizza crust according to these directions.
2. Cover the bottom of a large, heavy frying pan with a generous amount of oil and heat over medium high.  Do the same with a medium-sized frying pan.
3. Add the onions to the large pan with some salt.  Add the Fennel to the medium pan with some salt.
4. If you are using fresh herbs, garlic or anchovies mince them up and add them to the onions once they wilt.
5. When the onions and fennel turn a golden color turn the heat down a bit.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the fennel is tender and dark gold and the onions are mushy  and deep brown.  The onions will take much longer than the fennel.
6. While the onions are finishing up you can transfer the fennel to a dish and add a bit more oil to the medium pan. Peel the potatoes.  Return the pan to medium heat and grate the potatoes directly into the pan with a little bit of salt.  Cook until the potatoes start to turn golden, they can finnish cooking on top of the pizza in the oven.
7. If you are using the wine, add it to the onions and turn the heat up to reduce until the onions are thick like marmalade.
8. Spread the caramelized vegetables onto the crust. Dot the pizza with chunks of goat cheese.  Cover everything with the potatoes and bake for about 15 minutes.

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Kabocha Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup With Chorizo https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/kabocha-pumpkin-and-chestnut-soup-with-chorizo/

Pumpkin Walnut Soup https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/pumpkin-walnut-soup/

Apple-BUTTER-nut soup https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/apple-butter-nut-squash-soup/

Red Lentil and Autumn Vegetable Soup https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/red-lentil-and-autumn-vegetable-soup/

Goat Cheese and Autumn Vegetable Tart with a Gluten-Free Poppy Seed Crust https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/goat-cheese-and-autumn-vegetable-tart-with-a-gluten-free-poppy-seed-crust/

Roasted Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart (Gluten-Free) https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/roasted-cauliflower-and-caramelized-onion-tart-gluten-free/

Finally, a good gluten-free pizza crust https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/finally-a-good-gluten-free-pizza-crust/

Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/butternut-squash-and-sage-pizza-or-a-gluten-free-squash-and-sage-gratin/

Gluten-Free Pineapple Ham Pizza https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/the-lure-of-pineapple-and-ham-pizza/