Pumpkin Shrimp Bisque

From The Herbfarm Cookbook, by Jerry Traunfeld

Now that it's cold out, it's time to be excited about soup again.  And in honor of Halloween, I decided to buy and eviscerate a pumpkin.  I've been sitting on this recipe for a pumpkin shrimp bisque for probably 4 years, and finally got a chance to try it out.  Does it sound like a strange combination?  Maybe, but I believed in this recipe, and was not disappointed.  The finished product is almost more like a bouillabaisse with a mild pumpkin flavor, based on how the stock was made.  And fortune smiled on me to omit most of the sage because I couldn't find it fresh, which would have overpowered this strangely delicate soup.  But at the very least, invest in some saffron threads and make sure to include them.  Without that, the soup won't have the floral, earthy flavors you'd associate with a seafood soup, and you'll just get something bland.

It's optional to roast a pumpkin over buying the canned stuff, but I highly recommend fresh pumpkin in this soup.  You end up keeping much more of the pumpkin flavor, since it's minimally processed (you only cook the pumpkin for a few minutes in the soup after it's roasted).  If you're going to roast your own pumpkin, make sure to get the right kind.  You want what's called a "pie pumpkin", not just any old pumpkin that you carved up.   The bigger ones aren't as sweet, and will have a much higher starch-to-sugar ratio, making them more bland and stringy.  They also won't roast as well, since the sugars won't caramelize as fast.

Look for pie pumpkins.  They're about 8" or less in diameter, and are full of sugar.  Don't just roast any old pumpkin you happen to have.

I break this recipe into 3 stages, the first two of which you can do in parallel - roasting the pumpkin, making the shrimp stock, and finishing the soup.  The whole thing took about 2 hours, but could have been cut down to 75 minutes now that I understand this order.

Shrimp Stock

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock
• Pinch saffron threads (about 24)
• 2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped
• 4 fresh bay laurel leaves, torn, or 2 dried
• 2 3-inch springs fresh sage

Soup

• 2 cups pumpkin purée, fresh (see first step) or canned
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• About 3/4 teaspoon salt, less if using canned stock
• Scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20)  

1. Pumpkin purée: Cut a sugar pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds.  Place it cut side down in a baking dish and pour in about 1/4 inch of hot water (I didn't remember this, just put it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and it still worked out fine).  Bake it in a 400°F oven until the flesh is tender, 40 to 50 minutes.  Turn the pumpkin halves cut side up to cool.  Scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and purée it in a food processor until smooth.  I don't have a food processor, so I broke out its historical cousin, the food mill.  The directions say to transfer the purée to a large sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth and let it drain for 2-3 hours until it is firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon; however, I just ran the pumpkin through the mill right into the soup.  You can substitute winter squash purée, such as butternut or acorn, for the pumpkin.

The roasted pie pumpkin (about 4 pounds total)

You can't just scoop this out and throw it in the soup - it's too stringy.  Use a processor, or...

...this awesome thing - a food mill.  Bet you don't have one!  In fact, I'm not sure why I have one either.

2. The shrimp stock.  Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells.  Cover the shrimp and refrigerate.  Heat the olive oil in a medium (3-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat.  Add the shrimp shells to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn deep orange and are just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  This step - pan roasting the shells - gives the stock much of its flavor, so don't skip it.  The roasted shells should release a concentrated, toasty, shrimp aroma that will fill your kitchen.  Add the wine to the pan, first turning off gas flames to prevent the alcohol from igniting, then boil it over medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated.  Add the chicken stock, saffron, celery, onion, bay leaves, and sage.  Don't omit the saffron!  It makes all the difference in the world, and is probably the number one defining flavor in this soup.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.  Partially cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes.  Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pushing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid.  Rinse out the saucepan and pour the stock back into it.

The prep station.  Note the course chop on the vegetables - you don't need to dice anything, just get it small enough to give off some love in the stockpot.

The shrimp, after shelling.  It looks like they molted - does this make you want to watch District 9?

Don't just throw the tails in the pot and pour in the liquid - brown them up a bit.  Roasting and developing flavors before boiling is what distinguishes a light broth from a hearty stock.  This was shortly before I added the wine.

This is saffron.  It is your friend.  It is also the most expensive spice on the planet.  A little goes a long way - this is all you need.

3. The soup.  This is the easy part!  Whisk the pumpkin, cream, salt (omit if using canned stock), and cayenne into the shrimp stock.  Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook very gently uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and season with black pepper and more salt if needed. (The soup can be made up to this point up to 1 day ahead store covered in the refrigerator.  Keep the peeled shrimp in a resealable bag buried in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator.)

What you end up with after adding all the soup ingredients.  It's not bright orange or anything.

Finishing the soup: Pour the olive oil into a large sauté pan placed over medium heat.  When hot, add the reserved shrimp and sage (optional) and cook, tossing often, until the shrimp is just cooked through, pink, and no longer translucent, but not curled into a circle, 2 to 3 minutes.  They should still have a tender snap when you bite into them.  Arrange the shrimp in warmed serving bowls or a tureen.  Bring the soup back to a simmer and then ladle it over the shrimp.  Serve right away.

Sauté the shrimp in olive oil, with or without the sage.  I'm not sure what they meant by not letting them curl up, but I didn't overcook them.

The finished soup, with some shrimp sticking out.