Pumpkin Bisque

In a large stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leek and celery and saute for about five minutes. Stir in garlic, then white wine. Add the potatoes and carrots to the pan, then pour in the chicken broth. Let simmer about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Carefully pour liquid into a blender and puree. Don’t put the lid on too tightly as this could cause it to pop off because of steam pressure but do make sure that hot liquid will not splatter and burn you. Return mixture to pan. Stir in pumpkin, nutmeg, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. I probably used closer to a whole teaspoon of cumin but I recommend starting small and building up. The cumin really made this recipe for me. If mixture is too thick, add more chicken broth until it reaches the desired consistency. Heat over medium low heat until hot. Remove from heat. At this point, you can stop and serve it as it is. I tasted it and it’s wonderful, but I had something else in mind, so we’ll finish it as planned by stirring in the yogurt and cream. Serve hot with crusty bread.