Pumpkin Soup

Velvet Pumpkin Soup
What could be more seasonal in October than pumpkin? And my father-in-law grew it in his yard. Perfect!!

I went out to my porch and picked a medium sized pumpkin. I split it in half and roasted it cut side down on a cookie sheet in the oven for about an hour at 400". It gave me 5 generous cups of pumpkin which I used to make a double batch of soup. I cut down the cayenne to only about an 1/8 tsp. for a double batch. With the curry it was the perfect spiciness for my taste.

If your pumpkins aren't moldy after Halloween is over you can cut them up and roast them or boil them (let the pumpkin cool and then scrape the pulp off the skin). You will end up with lots of cooked pumpkin to make cookies, soup, muffins etc. You can even freeze it and use it for pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. It substitutes 1 to 1 for canned pumpkin and tastes so much better!!



Velvet Pumpkin Soup
"The name of this soup refers to its texture, not its taste. Though it's smooth in the mouth, it's fiery on the tongue! Red pepper, garlic, coriander and curry give this soup its heat. "

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
3 cups chicken broth
16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (or squash)
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan, and sauté garlic and onions till golden brown. Add curry powder, salt, coriander, and cayenne pepper; simmer gently for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

Add pumpkin, stirring till smooth. Add evaporated milk. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes; don't allow soup to boil (but a simmer is OK).

In batches, transfer soup to blender or food processor. Process till very smooth. Serve hot.

The recipe is from King Arthur Flour.