Pumpkin soup

A few weeks ago my daughter came back from daycare with a huge pumpkin, so heavy she couldn't lift it. We didn't get a chance to carve it in time for Halloween... but we got to eat it right after that :-)

A quarter of it turned into a soup (no, no the rest didn't turn into 3/4 of a carriage), inspired by one of Anne-Catherine Bley's many, delicious soup recipes.


Serves 6

• 1/4 pumpkin (that's about 1 kg or 2+ lbs)
• 3 or 4 small yellow or Yukon gold potatoes (optional)
  
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
  
• nutmeg
• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
  
• heavy whipping cream (half pint carton)
  
• 3 or 4 strips uncured bacon

1. Cut a pumpkin into 5 or 6 wedges. Remove the pumpkin's seeds and strings. Cut each wedge into 2-inch sections and cut out the skin. Cut each section into cubes.
2. Melt the butter or heat up the olive oil in a large pot. Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add the pumpkin and potatoes (also peeled and cubed) and cover with water (3 to 4 cups, or 3/4 liter). Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the vegetables get mushy.
4. Remove from heat. Blend until smooth. Stir in freshly grated nutmeg.
   
5. Dice the bacon into "lardons" (small bits of bacon...). Cook in the microwave for a few minutes on a plate covered with paper towels, until crisp.
6. Serve 1 or 2 ladles of soup per person in small bowls. Serve the heavy whipping cream and crisp bacon bits in two serving dishes for the table. Each guest will pour the amount of cream they want in their soup and then sprinkle the desired amount of bacon on top.