Adapted from André Soltner’s recipe in the New York Times
Makes 6-8 servings (about 2 quarts)
Ingredients
*Ingredients currently available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market
• 2 pumpkins, 8 to 10 inches in diameter*
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced*
• ⅔ cup dry white wine*
• 2 small white turnips, peeled and sliced*
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced*
• 1 large potato, peeled and sliced*
• 5-6 cups chicken stock (or water), or as needed
• ½ cup heavy cream*
• Salt and ground white pepper
Instructions
1. Cut off top of one pumpkin at least 5 inches across, so that it can serve as a lid. Scoop out and discard all seeds and stringy material. Using a large sturdy spoon, scrape out pumpkin meat, taking care not to break through the shell. Set aside the pumpkin and its lid in a warm place. Scrape pumpkin meat out of second pumpkin to make 6 cups total. Discard the pumpkin shell, seeds and stringy material.
2. In a large soup pot over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and simmer for 1 minute. Add turnips, carrot, potato, pumpkin meat and enough chicken stock or water to barely cover.
3. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Gently simmer soup for 1 hour, stirring once or twice. The soup will be thick; if it seems in danger of burning, reduce heat and stir in a small amount of broth or water.
5. Add cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, purée the hot soup in the pot until very smooth. Alternatively, remove soup from heat and allow to cool until no longer steaming, then purée in a food processor or blender. Return soup to a clean pot and reheat gently.
6. Pour hot soup into pumpkin. Serve from pumpkin. Optional: thyme leaves as a garnish.
