Pumpkin Leek Potage

This is the most flavourful pumpkin soup you'll ever taste. From the mellow taste of the leeks to the sweetness of the Granny Smith apples, there are a lot of layers here.  It's the first time I've ever used celeriac and I like it. You will too!

2 cups pumpkin purée (about 4-5 cups cubed fresh pumpkin)
3 tbsps butter
2 cups sliced leeks
1 cup celeriac
1 cup parsnip
8 cups (divided) vegetable broth
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp long grain white rice
2 Granny Smith apples, cubed

Take a soup pot and start by cooking the leeks in the butter until translucent.

 Next add the peeled and cubed celeriac and parsnip.
This celeriac is such a weird looking veggie eh?

Anyways, you can add the pumpkin purée in at this point along with 4 cups of vegetable broth. Season with nutmeg, thyme and salt.

Bring to a boil and add the rice. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.
Add the apples. I couldn't decide if I wanted to peel them or not so I did this before cubing them.

Cook until veggies and apples are soft enough to purée, about 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to purée, adding as much broth of the remaining 4 cups to make it the consistency that you like. I used the full 4 cups.

Garnish with sour cream, garlic croutons, sliced leek and salted sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Hope you like it!

And here's a link to the Garlic Croutons

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2015/01/garlic-croutons.html