Pumpkin Soup

This fall I tried my hand at roasting and pureeing my own pumpkins.  It was a smashing success!  I'd intended it to make some pie, but ended up in a savory mood.  Immediately, my 2011 trip to Sedona came to mind.  At the Wildflower Bread Company I had the most fantastic pumpkin soup.  I needed more.  Sedona's now a few thousand miles away, so I had to make my own, based off of this.  It was perfect.  So tasty and delicious, the perfect end to a fall day.  Spicy, too - I'm a chili head.  If you aren't, I'd cut back on the spice.

Ingredients

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 bay leaf
2 sticks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 T flour
2 t poultry seasoning
2 t hot sauce
5 cayenne peppers, diced
6 c chicken stock
Puree from 2 pumpkins (or 1 28 oz can)
dash nutmeg
swirl of cream (optional)

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat until melted and bubbly.  Add the celery, onion, cayenne, and bay leaf, saute until vegetables are cooked.  Add the flour, seasoning, and hot sauce, then add the stock.  Puree with an immersion blender, then heat again until nearly boiling.  Stir in the pumpkin puree and season with nutmeg.  Add cream if desired.