A Pumpkin soup for all seasons

 I'm a curmudgeon, so the cloying and ubiquitous fall season "spiced" scents will be an assault on my senses until after New Year.

Pumpkin Parm beats pumpkin spice. 

Pumpkin needs no cinnamon, allspice, clove, ginger, vanilla, brown sugar or maple. Even less so their artificial counterpart "flavorings" added to lattes and hideous dyed pastries with an almost religious fervor until the Spice Assault subsides once again. 

I hereby offer you this recipe. To fellow curmudgeons it will be a relief, and to the Autumn Army a chance to see the orange gourd that is their seasonal totem with a fresh entourage. To entice the Spice crowd, I add a perennial rather than seasonal superstar: parmesan. 

Ingredients :

Approximately 3 cups of any pumpkin, calabaza, butternut, etc, chopped into rough cubes.

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

One leek, tough outer leaves removed, chopped.

One medium parsnip, chopped.

One tablespoon each of butter and heavy cream.

Olive oil, enough to drizzle

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

A few sprigs of thyme and a sprig of sage, tied together with string (a bouquet garnis). 

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar (authentic Vinagre de Jerez D. O. P. is best).

1/4 cup parmesan rind, whole, or grated parm. 

One basil leaf per serving.

A simple bouquet of thyme and sage. 

Process :

On medium heat, cook the leeks and parsnip in the butter until soft and lightly browned, with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add pumpkin, broth, vinegar, and the bouquet of thyme and sage. If you're using the parm rind, add it now. 

Simmer until the pumpkin is falling apart. If using an instant pot, ten minutes on high pressure and vent it naturally. 

Allow to cool, and use a blender or food mill to puree the soup to a fine texture. You may store it in the fridge if planning for another day. When ready to serve, reheat the soup and add the cream, grated parmesan (if you didn't have the rind), and mashed potato flakes. It should thicken and look creamy. Taste it and correct for salt. While this happens, slice the basil leaves in fine strips (chiffonade) but do not add them yet. 

Serve the hot soup in individual bowls, then into each bowl, drizzle a bit of olive oil, a little more grated parmesan to taste, and the basil chiffonade.

You can adapt this soup for the seasons. On a cold winters day, add bacon and chopped potatoes. On a hot summer, hold the cheese and serve lightly chilled with cilantro and lime. Save all that ginger and brown sugar where it belongs: dessert.