Pumpkin Soup

I first made this recipe about four years ago as baby food for Liam. The original recipe comes from Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purées, which is thankfully not what the name implies if read literally. She mentions that the recipe is so good that you could make it as a soup for the whole family. After tasting it that first time, I realized she was right. Baby Liam loved it too. Anyway, it seemed like a fitting recipe to post today (we actually made it on Saturday).

Ingredients:
2 T. butter
1 leek, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 pie pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled* and cubed (pulp and seeds composted or saved for roasting separately)
4 c. vegetable or chicken broth (I made some broth using Better than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the leek, and sauté until soft and lightly golden. Add the pumpkin/squash and cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Then simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin/squash is tender. Then mash the mixture, but leave it somewhat chunky (I used a potato masher to accomplish this). Add salt and pepper to taste.

* I found it much easier to peel the pumpkin after quartering it. I also found it easier (though also more dangerous) to use a paring knife rather than a vegetable peeler.

Comments:
Tasty. Interestingly enough, the only one who wasn't a huge fan this time around was Liam.