My Pumpkin Addition

Ok, so this is all new to me, but here goes nothing.  I love thick, yummy soups.  Due to it being fall, and pumpkins being everywhere I decided to give Martha's Pumpkin Soup a try.  It was particularly simple to make, even though I didn't have an immersion blender.  For those of you who have no clue what sugar pumpkins are (which Wikipedia doesn't either) they are also known as cooking pumpkins at the grocery store.  They are about the diameter of a side-dish plate, weigh from 2 to 3 lbs, and many of you may have them decorating your home or as part of your centerpiece on your table.
The recipe calls for you to cut the pumpkin into 2-inch pieces before roasting, then you peel the pumpkin afterwards.  I substituded one portabela mushroom for the 2 shiitake mushrooms, simply because of cost.  The roasted veggies made my home smell divine.

Next time though, I may not cut up the pumpkin into the smaller pieces.  I would simply halve it, seed it, salt & oil and roast as such.  It would make it easier to skin afterwards.  If you did this, you would want to roast the pumpkin probably about an extra 15 minutes, and leave the other veggies out for those first 15 minutes or they would get too brown.
I did not have any vegetable stock, nor was I about to put the time into making homemade vegetable stock (though, maybe I will soon).  So I simply substituted chicken broth that I had around the house.  I would not suggest putting the entire 5 cups in, it became a little too thin at the end.  Possibly only 4 would work.  Start there and then add until it's the texture you like.

My final tweak was simply that I did not have an immersion blender, so I did it in my regular blender.  It's just a Cuisinart SmartPower - (the very exciting thing is that by looking for that link I learned I could buy a food processor attachment, I had no idea!  I am thrilled ... one Christmas gift made tons cheaper, which of course means an extra Christmas gift?  I think so.)  I put the vegetables in first, added the heated chicken broth to the blender bit by bit, until it was a great texture.  I even poured my husband a bowl at this texture.  Then I kept adding ...  I just didn't want to waste that last 3/4 cup or so.  Don't DO IT!  When it gets to a texture you like (I like a thicker soup) then just stop.  Waste the chicken broth.  It's so worth having great soup instead of just good soup.  Oh yes, I forgot, I added some pepper at the end, in the bowls.  Eat with rolls, french bread, or just as is.

(Please note the sugar pumpkin. Oh, and that's my olive oil, not wine.)