Pumpkin Soup baby led weaning recipe

Ok, generally speaking, we don't do purees. I like to let Mae feed herself, and purees are, as everyone knows, a bit on the messy side for self-feeding. But she does need spoon practice, so as often as I can bring myself to, I give her yogurt or a thick soup. We're still using the 'loaded spoon' method-- I dip the spoon and hand it to her, she navigates it into her mouth (or not), does her best with it (which may involve eating it, or turning it around and sucking on the handle), and then generally drops it onto the tray or, more likely, the floor. Then I reload, and we repeat.

Every fall I become some sort of squash-crazed lunatic and buy more winter squash than any human really needs-- I dutifully roast and puree it, and then spend the rest of the year trying to find ways to use up the quarts of puree I've stashed in the freezer. I know this is a bit early for fall pumpkin recipes, but thus is my madness revealed-- I'm currently stepping up pumpkin consumption in an effort to make room for the new batch that I'll be working on in a couple of months.

Anyhow, I started with this recipe from Epicurious. My version is a bit thicker, omits the salt and sugar, and increases the spices a bit. I like that it's not a sweet squash soup, but cheesy and savory, and easy too-- nothing needs to be sauteed. You just stir things together, add some spices, simmer, and you're done. Autumn any time of year!

Little Punkin Soup

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 cup pumpkin or winter squash puree

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Bring the chicken stock and cream to a boil. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and spices. Let simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in the shredded cheddar. There you go. Slurp it down.

If desired, you can remove a portion for the baby and then add salt to the rest for the salt-loving grown-ups.