Evil Pumpkin Zombie soup

It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark… Evil Pumpkin Zombies!

EPZ are brought to life when an evil Halloween spirit enters a carved pumpkin and awakens an unnaturally evil appetite for candy. The pumpkins will roll around attacking anyone for their candy!

If you are threatened by an EPZ, you will need to destroy it or it will not stop until all your candy is eaten.

To ensure an EPZ is thoroughly destroyed or to prevent your pumpkin from becoming possessed here is a great soup recipe that will exorcize the evil spirits and give you something yummy to eat other than candy.

INGREDIENTS 

Pumpkin (any size)

drizzle of oil

sprinkle of salt

1 onion, diced

salt to taste

pesto

2 cloves of garlic

10 sage leaves

1 bunch of parsley

½ cup of olive oil (or pumpkin seed oil if you can find some)

2 cups of toasted pumpkin seeds (store-bought or homemade)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

salt to taste

PROCEDURE

SMASH your pumpkin into large chunks and place them in a large roasting pan. Use a baseball bat as needed or simply use your hands to feverishly tear it apart.

ROAST the pumpkin parts at 350˚F for an hour or until they are soft and golden around the edges. Put a cup of water in the pan to help things cook better.

PULVERIZE the pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides if needed. Add more oil if it is too chunky. This pesto will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks and is really good in pasta, mashed potatoes and on roasted squash of any kind.

SCRAPE the roasted pumpkin meat away from the skin and place into a bowl.  Discard the skin.

FIRE up a large pot on the stove and sweat your onion in a little cooking oil. Cook until tender and translucent.

PLOP the pumpkin into the pot with the onions.

DROWN the ingredients with enough water to cover.  Bring to violent boil.

BLITZ the heck out of the soup with a hand blender until totally smooth. Taste it and add more salt to taste.

GOBBLE down a big bowl full topped with a scoop of pesto smack dab in the middle.