Pumpkin Soup Bowls with Paprika Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

• 2
  
  tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1
  
  onion, diced
  
• 2
  
  carrots, peeled and diced
  
• 1
  
  apple, peeled and diced
  
• 2
  
  heaping cups, canned pumpkin
  
• 1
  
  tablespoon sage leaves, plus extra for garnish
  
• 3
  
  cups chicken stock
  
• 1/2 – 1
  
  cups heavy cream
  
• 1/4
  
  teaspoon smoked paprika
  
• 1
  
  handful dried cranberries for garnish
  
• 1
  
  pinch salt + pepper
  

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, carrot, apple, pumpkin, and sage and sauté until tender, roughly 10 minutes. At this point, strain the mixture with a foodmill, or puree in a food processor. When smooth, return the puree to the pot. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring to prevent bottom of pot from burning. Next, add a 1/2 cup of cream and simmer for several minutes. Keep stirring so cream doesn’t boil. Season with salt and pepper. Taste test, and add additional cream if needed. Let simmer for a few extra minutes. Serve soup into bowls and top with roasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and minced sage.
2. To make the Pumpkin Bowls: Cut the top off of 4 pumpkin pie pumpkins. Scoop out insides, saving seeds in a separate bowl. Fill with soup.
3. To make the Paprika Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:
   Add the seeds from your pumpkin into a strainer. Run under water to rinse and separate the seeds from the gunk. Next, place seeds in a medium pot, along with 2 cups of water and 1 T salt for every 1/2 cup of seeds. Bring to a boil, and then let simmer for 10-12 minutes.
   Preheat the oven to 400. Drain the pot and add seeds to a roasting pan. Top with olive oil, sea salt, and paprika. Mix to coat evenly, and then bake until the seeds begin to brown, 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds. Check in on the seeds every few minutes to prevent burning. Let the seeds cool and enjoy.