Savory Pumpkin Tomato Bisque

In my neck of the woods, 'fall' is more of an idea than an actual season. Case in point - last week, it was 83 degrees, extraordinarily sunny, and way too hot for the sweaters I was wearing. And today, it's 38 degrees with rain and snow. Oh, and my house's thermostat is super messed up, so I am currently bundled up in blankets, mittens, and fuzzy socks, trying to hit the correct keys on my Chromebook. I suppose it could be worse, but if there are any spelling mistakes in this post, you'll know why.

Despite the fact that fall doesn't really exist in my town, I'm trying my very hardest to keep up the autumnal feeling of the season; this means that I am opting for boots instead of my customary blue Crocs, am decorating my bullet journal in scarlet, gold, and burnt orange, and am cooking with pumpkin at every available opportunity. Most unfortunately, my dad isn't pumpkin's biggest fan. He pretty much refuses to eat anything that can be described with the words "pumpkin" and "sweet." I have this theory that long, long ago, he had an obsession with Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and now cannot stand the flavor. So I've been keeping creative with ways to incorporate the squashy goodness into my recipes.

Luckily, this recipe for my Savory Pumpkin Tomato Bisque is nothing like PSL's. Nope. Not even a dash of sweetener. And my dad actually liked it! This is progress, dear reader. It's almost as good as the time I convinced my sister that I put pancetta on her spaghetti squash (it was definitely not bacon 😉) or talked my grandpa into trying some Avocado Chocolate Pudding. If I ever have children, I shall be the reigning queen of sneaking healthy, whole foods into unsuspecting places.

Pumpkin in delicious, which is one of the reasons I decided to transform it into a soup. But it also has numerous health benefits. According to the article "What Are The Health Benefits of Pumpkins?" by Megan Ware, "Pumpkin has a range of fantastic health benefits, including being one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant. It also gives orange vegetables and fruits their vibrant color. The body converts any ingested beta-carotene into vitamin A. Consuming foods rich in beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer, offer protection against asthma and heart disease, and delay aging and body degeneration...Eating pumpkin is good for the heart. The fiber, potassium, and vitamin C content in pumpkin all support heart health... [and] Pumpkins are a fantastic source of fiber." So why not dig in to your Uncle's Famous Pumpkin Pie this autumn? As long as that Pumpkin Pie is sugar and grain free, of course!

Savory Pumpkin Tomato Bisque - Serves 4-6 with plenty of leftovers

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pumpkin puree
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 medium diced onion
• 2 Tbsps. avocado oil
• 2-3 tsp minced garlic 
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, turmeric, paprika
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence
• 2 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• crumbled bacon - you'll be making your own, so make sure to purchase high quality bacon!
• plenty of sour cream, full fat

Execution 

Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Pour in your avocado oil and let it warm in the pot before adding the diced onions. Allow the onions to simmer and cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Next, add your garlic and let cook until fragrant, about one minute. Lower your heat to medium low, and add your chicken stock, pumpkin puree, and tomato paste. Whisk or blend with a hand blender until smooth. Sprinkle in all of your spices  - the nutmeg, turmeric, paprika, herbs de Provence, salt, pepper, and thyme. To tell you the truth, I didn't exactly measure out the spices when I made this fantastic soup, so make sure to test taste it - it may need more of a particular herb! Stir in your heavy whipping cream until fully combined and allow the bisque to simmer while you cook the bacon. Chop your uncooked, thick bacon into small pieces and microwave on a microwave safe plate for one minute per slice of bacon. 

Ensure that you've covered the plate with paper towels and laid a paper towel over the bacon; or, you could forget to do this and spend your evening cleaning bacon grease out of the microwave. Which isn't particularly fun. Not to say that I forgot this step or anything - I can just imagine that it would be tedious. When your bacon is cooked, either discard the drippings, add them to the bisque for extra flavor (I would recommend this), or save them for later use. Ladle the soup into bowls after stirring one final time, and load each bowl with bacon. Top with a generous dollop of sour cream: THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT! It provides this marvelous tangy quality to the soup. Finally, sprinkle the bisque with a little extra herbs de Provence, and serve! Enjoy!

P.S. This soup makes an excellent lunch, and tastes amazing cold, too! And it'll probably taste great if you have a bowl while watching the premiere of season three of my guilty pleasure, Riverdale!

I hope you've had a great day, dear reader. Remember - today is the first day of the rest of your life.

- Maya

Photo by Maya, Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash, Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash,

Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash, Photo by Leexoos on Unsplash