If you’ve ever lived in southwest Germany, then you know there is some good pumpkin soup made in these parts. There is a festival here at a farm called Hitscherhof and they make the best pumpkin soup around. The festival is usually filled with vendors who sell handmade items, but most people go for the food. Dampnudel (sweet rolls), bratwurst, pumpkin prosecco and the pumpkin soup are the go-to foods and drinks. There’s always local honey too. The kids can run around the corn maze and play in the hay barrels.
This year, unfortunately, there was no festival (dang COVID), but they still made their soup on the weekends in October. Thank goodness.
This is the recipe I was working from to get to my own Hitscherhof-style pumpkin soup:
I don’t follow the recipe exactly. It calls for about 2 cups of onions (zwiebeln). I really feel like that’s excessive. I also took out the sugar (zucker) and the tabasco. I like to add chili flakes at the end. I decreased the cream and it’s still really creamy.
And guess what? You don’t have to roast your own pumpkin if you don’t want to. I pretty much had to, because there is no canned pumpkin anywhere to be found here, but pumpkins are everywhere. So, if you feel like roasting your own pumpkin, I included easy directions in the notes.
Here’s the deal though. I roasted my pumpkin the day before, so if you already have the puree, it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
Here I am a week ago enjoying my soup at Hitscherhof and loving the Fall weather. We also had pumpkin waffles filled with pumpkin seed flour and pumpkin seeds (I brought home a mix, so I would know exactly what was in it – that recipe coming later!)
My waffles aren’t as thin as those in the pictures, I need to know where to find this waffle maker! And another picture of the soup. So good!
So, if you’re ready to try it (and you should), here’s how you do it.
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German pumpkin soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped – about 3/4 cup chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Riesling
3 cups pumpkin puree
2.5 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
Garnishes: Pumpkin seeds (pepitas), chives, red chili flakes, black pepper
Instructions
In a medium Dutch oven or pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
Add onions and saute until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Add lemon juice and Riesling and bring to a light simmer to cook off the alcohol, about 3 minutes.
Add pumpkin, chicken stock, salt and pepper.
Using an immersion blender, blend the pumpkin with the onions (or blend in a blender). Bring the soup back up to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes for the flavors to blend. Turn off heat and stir in cream.
Garnish with pumpkin seeds, chives, red chili flakes, and/or black pepper
Notes
Notes: If you want to roast your own pumpkin, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Cut a small sugar pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Place on the baking sheet cut side down and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the flesh is soft enough to scoop.
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