#10DaysofTailgate: Duck Bacon Pumpkin Soup

I was so excited when I saw two pumpkins in my High Ground Organics CSA last week. Pumpkin season always brings delicious autumn soups. Then I received some intriguing duck bacon from one of our event sponsors: Maple Leaf Farms Duck. I stirred in some fresh herbs from another sponsor - Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices - and called it dinner.

Pumpkin + bacon + herbs = the perfect #10DaysofTailgate soup! Woohoo.

I really wanted to call this a pumpkin 'bisque'; that sounds more sexy than pumpkin 'soup'. But then I did some reading and realized that you can't categorize something as a bisque unless it has fish stock as its base. So...this is pumpkin soup made with fresh pumpkin puree.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Maple Leaf Farms Duck bacon (or whatever bacon you have)
• 1 T minced garlic
• 3 C pumpkin puree (click to see how to make your own puree)
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 6 C organic chicken stock
• 1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 t Gourmet Garden lemongrass
• 1/2 t Gourmet Garden ginger
• 1 T Gourmet Garden parsley
• 1 t Gourmet Garden basil
• 1 t Gourmet Garden cilantro
• freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion, trimmed and diced

Procedure
Set aside the number of bacon slices that you need to garnish the soup. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F and place the garnish slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook the bacon for 15 minutes until crisped and brown. Drain on a paper towel to absorb the excess bacon grease. Chop the rest of the bacon into strips.

In a souppot, cook the bacon pieces along with the minced garlic until the bacon begins to brown but is not crispy.

Add the pumpkin, carrots, chicken stock, orange juice, and herbs to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the soup begins to thicken. While the soup cooks, caramelize the onion in another pan. Once the soup is finished, stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the caramelized onions.

Serve hot with a strip of bacon and slices of good bread. I love autumn!

Here's what the rest of the team brought to the table...

Starters

Sticky Mango Mustard Glazed Duck Meatballs by girlichef

Pretzel Sticks with Two Sauces by Eliot’s Eats

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Pork Nachos by The Spiffy Cookie

Duck Poppers by CafeTerra
Duck Bacon Pumpkin Soup by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Dips

Corn and Cheddar Dip by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Steakhouse Deviled Egg Dip by From Gate to Plate

Mains

Ultimate Bacon Burger by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Cincinnati Turkey Chili by The Pajama Chef

Smoky Date Pulled Pork by Curious Cuisiniere

Grilled Avocado with Melted Cheese & Karma Hot Sauce by Making Miracles

Sides

Just Ducky Baked Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Sweets

Linebacker-Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies by Things I Make (for Dinner)

Rocky Ledge Bars by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

Pear Poppy Snails {Birnen Mohn Schnecken} by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

Click to go to the sponsor info and enter THE giveaway! 

Thanks, again, Maple Leaf Farms Duck and Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices* - just two of the #10DaysofTailgate sponsors - for ingredients used in this recipe.

*Full Disclosure: I received duck bacon from Maple Leaf Farms Duck and 1 cooler full of herbs by Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices for participating in #10DaysofTailgate. Feel free to use whatever bacon and fresh herbs you have on-hand. All comments are 100 % accurate and 100% my own.