pumpkin white bean soup w/ pumpkin seed pesto

For the pumpkin
Split a 1 pound sugar pie pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and guts (save them for the stock!)
lightly salt the pumpkin, place in roasting pan and roast at 425, covered, for 45 minutes. Let cool, remove skin and discard skin.


For the stock
seeds and guts of one sugar pie pumpkin
thick green part of one leek
4 cloves garlic
one allspice berry
1 cinnamon stick
one stalk celery, rough cut
one carrot, rough cut
4 sprigs thyme
10 parsley stems
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp sea salt
8 cups water

Bring all ingredients to a boil, lower heat, cover and let simmer, SLOWLY (very low heat) for 2 hoursm reducing the amount of liquid by about 50%. Strain all solid ingredients and discard them to the compost pile.

For the vegetables
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
white part of leek, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp olive oil

in frying pan, saute the leeks in olive oil with salt for 3 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables and saute 3 more minutes

For the beans
soak 1/2 cup white beans, overnight.
Pressure cook beans for 10 minutes, with 2 bay leaves and a few cloves of garlic with the beans. Remove bay leaves and garlic and add beans to the soup.

Puree the pumpkin with the stock.
Add the cooked leek/carrot/celery mixture and 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Add the cooked beans and season with sea salt if needed. Continue cooking over low heat till beans begin to break down.


For pumpkin seed pesto:
1/2 cup very high quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
2 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh sweet basil
1 tsp sea salt
In food processor, blend all ingredients till very smooth.


For plating.
Add soup to bowl and dollop the pesto in the bowl, then run a knive to create green patterns within the orange soup. If desired, add red lines with some chili infused -olive oil.