I have been eating Pumpkin soup for years. It is always a special autumn treat, but if you make it ahead, it will sucky-bag (Food-Saver) and freeze for at least a year, allowing you to have that special autumn treat any time of year!

This is Kelly Ripa's recipe for spicy pumpkin soup. It sucks because she uses canned pumpkin puree, but if you want a shortcut, here it is...

http://www.paulmertz.com/spicy_pumpkin_soup.htm

Otherwise, here is my recipe for making this sweet/savory October treat from scratch...

Ingredients:

• 1 whole small to medium halloween pumpkin, about 6 pounds.
• Vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoon (half stick) sweet cream butter (salted or unsalted is fine).
• 2 small sweet onions, diced.
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
• 3 cloves garlic, diced (or pressed).
• 3 cups Chicken broth made from Chicken Jigglers (or store bought broth, if you must).
• 1.5 cups heavy cream (or 1.25 cups half and half, and 0.25 cup sour cream).
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (chile pequin).
• 6 ounces chèvre (goat cheese), or use stinkier cheese if you wish.
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the pumpkin, making sure the outer skin is clean and dry.

Using a paring knife, cut out the top at a 45 degree angle, Just as if you were making a jack-o-lantern.

Scoop out the guts and scrape the insides of the pumpkin until the stringy stuff is as gone as you can get it. Clean the inside of the top off as well.

Oil the outside of the cleaned pumpkin and lid and place inside an oven-safe container to catch any spillover.

Thoroughly mix the Butter, Onions, Salt, Garlic, Broth, Cream and Peqiun in a separate container, and pour the mixture into the pumpkin shell. It should be about an inch from the top.

Replace the lid and bake at 350 degrees for one and a half hours.

Remove from the oven, remove the lid and set aside. Add the chèvre and thyme to the pumpkin bowl, put it back in the oven and allow to bake uncoverd for another half hour.

Remove from the oven, remove the liquid from the pumpkin and put it in a blender.

Quarter the pumpkin shell and scrape the insides out, as well as the lid. Add the pumpkin scrapings to the blender with the liquid. Throw the scraped skin away. You only want the soft squishy insides. 

Puree the mixure for two minutes, or until thoroughly soupified.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream (or mexican cream which is one 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup coconut milk, and 1 tbsp fresh lime juice.) and a sprig of basil.