The Greatest Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is the mutant child of a few other squash soups that I make. It is almost bizarrely delicious for how simply it is. My mother, after having her first bowl of it at Thanksgiving, has deemed it her "absolute, most favorite food". I hope you and your family can enjoy it as much as mine has.
 -I have included vegan options in parentheses




 Ingredients
 3 Tbsp. butter (or coconut oil)
 1 onion, roughly chopped
 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
 2 tsp. cumin
 1 lg. sweet potato peeled & cut into sm. cubes
 1 lg. stalk of celery, chopped
 1/3 c. of chopped fennel
 5 c. chicken stock (or vegetable)
 1 can pumpkin puree
 Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter or coconut oil in the bottom of a big stock pot. Add onion, salt, and cook over low heat until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic & cumin and stir continuously for few minutes.

Add sweet potato, celery, and fennel let sweat for another 5 minutes or until little brown pieces are accumulating on the bottom of the pot.

Add stock and stir making sure to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in pumpkin puree. Cover partially and let it cook on the stovetop for about 20 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.

 Let it cool slightly, then pour it into the blender in batches or use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Return to the pot and season to taste.