Step One

Warm the olive oil in a stockpot and sauté the peppers, carrots, and red onion with the paprika, cumin, sea salt and pepper over medium heat until soft, (about 6-7 minutes.) Add in the garlic and cook and stir until fragrant about 1 minute. Add in the veggie broth and pumpkin and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Step Two

Allow the soup to cool for 10 minutes then use an immersion blender to puree the ingredients in the pot. Stir in the lemon juice, place in bowls  and sprinkle with walnuts and rosemary.

To roast walnuts, spread them out on a small sheet pan and slide them into a 400F oven for about 5 minutes. Nuts are expensive, so set your timer…they can be almost done, almost done, burned!

I’ve offered a shortcut when I’ve suggested shredded carrots – you can use bagged, shredded carrots in this soup. But given a choice, I always shred my own, or choose parsnips. Parsnips are one of my favorite root veggies, and one that we don’t use very often in American kitchens. You can find them right beside the carrots in most grocery stores. Just like carrots, try to choose medium sized parsnips, when they are extremely large they can be woody.

TREANA Viognier Marsanne
Central Coast CA
About $16.00

Nothing goes better with a creamy full-bodied veggie soup than an easydrinking wine from the Rhone valley made with two grapes indigenous to France. But wait! This wine is not from France – its from the Central Coast appellation in California, where they have had great success growing Rhone varietals. Viognier adds the aroma of crisp pear and honeysuckle and Marsanne tosses in a rich, weighty mouthfeel with distinctive melon and mineral flavors. A great pairing with creamy pumpkin dishes.