Refined spiced pumpkin cream soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g pumpkin flesh, diced
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 ½ liters of water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ liter white wine (Gewürztraminer)
• some lemon peel
• 2 pinch(s) of cinnamon powder (Ceylon cinnamon)
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg
• Salt
• 4 tbsp cream
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
• 50 g smoked bacon, cut into approx. 1 mm thick sticks

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Finely dice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Add the pumpkin cubes and roast them slightly, stirring constantly. Be careful that the onion doesn’t brown! Then pour in about 1.5 liters of water and sauté the pumpkin cubes for about 15 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender. Tip: If desired, remove some pumpkin cubes beforehand and set them aside to use later as a garnish, e.g., for a vegetarian or vegan version without the bacon and cream. Return the pot to the heat and season with salt, a small piece of lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon. I add just enough so that you don’t notice any of the spices, creating a delicately rounded aroma. Bring back to a boil so the spices develop well. Then turn off the heat, add the white wine and, if desired, a dash of cream, and stir one last time. Then arrange in plates, pour a white swirl of cream over the soup and a dark swirl of pumpkin seed oil. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds in the center. The bacon strips can be served separately if you want them still crispy; otherwise, I place them in the center of the soup plate before the pumpkin seeds.