Chef notes
In my hometown, you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving just by sitting down to Stove Top stuffing and a pop-up turkey. Preparing for Thanksgiving is an event in itself. We take our feasts quite seriously here, striving to serve as many people as possible as many dishes as possible, while staying very close to tradition, never straying from the recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Tip: I like my pureed soups so refined that I strain them through a sieve just before serving.
Swap option: Any variety of hearty fall squash can work well in this soup.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 leeks
- 1 onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 pound pumpkin
- 1 large Yukon gold potato
- 1½ quarts chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups jumbo lump crabmeat
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1.Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over moderate heat. Add the garlic, leeks, onions, celery, cayenne pepper, and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, potatoes, and chicken stock and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
2.Remove the soup from the stove; puree in a food processor or a blender until very smooth and velvety. Strain through a fine sieve back into the pot. Add the cream; cover and keep warm over very low heat or in a 200ºF oven.
3.Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the crabmeat, and heat until it’s completely warmed through (take care not to break up the crabmeat too much). Remove the skillet from the heat. Scatter the chives over the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper.
4.Ladle the pumpkin soup into individual bowls, then put a large spoonful of warm crabmeat into each bowl.
