Pumpkin soup with mussels

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg mussels
• 750 g pumpkin flesh
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 25 g butter
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• Cayenne pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

fine combination of mussels and pumpkin, recipe from New Brunswick

Thoroughly clean, debeard, and wash the mussels. Do not use any that have opened. Bring the mussels to a boil in a large pot with 750 ml of water, cover, and cook for about ten minutes until they have opened. Shake the pot vigorously two or three times during cooking to mix the mussels with the liquid. Drain the mussels into a sieve and collect the liquid. Sort out any closed mussels and discard. Peel and dice the pumpkin, onion, and garlic. Sauté everything in the heated butter. Pour the mussel liquid through a fine sieve. Cook in the covered pot for about ten minutes. Then puree finely. Stir in the crème fraîche, setting some aside for garnish. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Remove the mussels from their shells and warm briefly in the soup. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve sprinkled with a dollop of crème fraîche and a little cayenne pepper.