Pumpkin Curry Soup

Simmer simmer and a glimmer of dinner.   This was a right tasty bowl of soup and so VERY STUPID EASY to complete.  The lovely Mrs and I ate every last drop and stopped short of licking our bowls clean.  Very satisfying and warms the soul.  The kid wasn't a fan, but he doesn't like soup in general so its his loss.

I use a "Madras Curry" but you can use your favorite.  Madras Curry powder is much warmer than regular curry powder so add a half teaspoon at a time to taste to keep from blowing your taste buds off your tongue.  Seriously, its worth the try just add to taste incrementally.

You can use canned pumpkin, but its so easy to carve up and roast one then puree ahead of time.  "Canned" properly home roasted pumpkin that you puree will keep 3 months in the fridge easy.  (recipe will follow in a future blog post.

This is so close to vegan that you can twist things up and use veggie broth and voila its vegan.  Something I reserve for Meatless Mondays around here, but today was Wednesday so I used chicken broth.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c  roasted pumpkin puree
• 1 14 3/4 ounce can low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 - 2 1/2 t curry powder (to taste)
• salt to taste

Garnish

• fried jalapeno chips
• sour cream
• herbed croutons

Method

Place onions in a sauce pan with a scant T olive oil and sauté until translucent.  Add garlic and cook one minute until fragrant.  Pour half can of broth into a blender cup and add whiz up until no chunks remain.

Return onion puree to sauce pan, add pumpkin and remaining broth.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Add curry powder incrementally starting at 1 teaspoon  adding  1/2 teaspoon at a time tasting until you get the desired spiciness and heat.  Test for seasoning, add salt as needed.   Simmer 30 minutes until it is a consistency you like and flavors are developed.

Remove from heat and serve with garnishes.

Roasted Pumpkin Puree

Pure pumpkin flavor and you control the salt level.  Its also making the most of  your pumpkins after you carve them for jack-o-lanterns.  Quite easy and very nutritious. All the fiber and no fillers (some brands use cheap squash to keep the cost of their puree down) or nasty additives.  This puree can be used interchangeably with the canned stuff cup for cup. Sounds like a win to me.

As this is a low acid, low salt recipe you do need to do a water bath to ensure your puree is safe to store and consume down the road.

Roast Pumpkin Puree

• 3 medium (3 lb +/-) cinderella pumpkins
• cooking oil spray
• salt
• Boiling water

Cut pumpkin in to 1-2" wide strips along the circumference.  Trim off the outer shell leaving only the pulp. Cut into 1' cubes.  Spritz your baking sheet with cooking oil spray, add pumpkin in a single layer.

Heat oven to 350F, use convection cycle if you have it for more even roasting.  Roast 45-60 minutes until the largest pieces are fork tender and break easily when pierced with a fork.

In large blender jar add 4-5 c roasted pumpkin.  Add 1/2C boiling water and 1/2t salt.  Blitz on puree until smooth, add more water if needed to get the right consistency so it all blends.  Pour into sterile canning jars, filling to within 1/2" of top of jar.  Loosely place on lid and sealing ring.  Repeat until all pumpkin has been pureed.

Place jars in water bath and simmer in boiling water that comes within an inch of the top of the jars.  Treat for 60 minutes.  Remove jars from boiling water bath and screw lids down tight.  Make sure the lids "pop" to guarantee a good safe seal  Cool completely. Store in fridge for up to a year, 6 months in a cool dark place.