Pumpkin Soup with Smoked Almonds and Fresh Sage

This quickly-prepared recipe delivers a delicious slow-cooked flavor. Pumpkin is one of the few vegetables with a canned version that is quite good, and it saves you some time and effort — just be sure you do not use pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and spices! This soup holds up quite well and can be made a day or two ahead of serving time, if necessary. If the soup thins down a bit after reheating, stir it well with a whisk to re-blend. The almonds in this soup perform double duty— they are puréed into the soup to help thicken it, and they also provide a crunchy contrast as a garnish. The secret flavor burst for this delicious soup comes from the fresh sage leaves — don’t leave them out!

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4 fresh sage leaves
8 ounces finely-chopped onion
3/4 cup unsalted, smoked almonds, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided
1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Place butter, sage, and onion in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and cook 7-8 minutes or until onion is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop 1/4 cup of the almonds; set aside. Whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup of the stock; set aside. Add to the onion mixture the remaining 1/2 cup of almonds, the flour mixture, the remaining chicken stock, pumpkin purée, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture just to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes; stirring occasionally, so the mixture doesn’t stick to the
bottom of the pan. Place a small portion of the hot pumpkin mixture in an electric blender. Remove the center piece of the blender lid to allow steam to escape, then secure the lid on blender. Place a clean dish towel over the lid opening, and process until the mixture is smooth. NOTE: Because the pumpkin mixture is hot, it is very important to purée it in small batches. Repeat the same process with the remaining pumpkin mixture, then return the puréed soup to the saucepan. TO SERVE: Ladle soup into warmed individual serving bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with some of the reserved chopped almonds and chives, and serve hot. — Serves 6