Rowan and I bought a pumpkin in Fairbanks the weekend before Halloween with the intention of carving it, but we never seemed to get around to it (those "round to its" are really hard to come by). Last Friday, I finally cut it up and roasted it. I love cooking with fresh pumpkin, so I knew I'd use it.
After a conversation with friends about pumpkin and squash soups, I decided to make one Saturday. I'd had a wonderful pumpkin corn chowder in Haight Ashbury years ago that really turned me on to pumpkin soups. I thought curry might be a good flavor with pumpkin, so I did an internet search on curry pumpkin soup. Lots of recipes popped up, but after perusing several, I decided to make up my own. Oh, my, it was good. Very good. If you'd like to try it, here's what I did. If you do make it, let me know if you like it.
Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup
Saute until just soft in a 4-6 quart sauce pan:
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoon butter
Add to the onions and heat over low flame until hot (there's no need to boil):
3 cups roasted pumpkin (most recipes call for pureed pumpkin or for pureeing the soup before eating, but we like more texture, so I just mashed it a little)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 15-oz can coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic (I actually used the kind that comes chopped in a tube; if you like saute this with the onion)
2 tablespoons curry paste (use more if you want a stronger flavor, but this amount was nice and subtle)
salt and pepper to taste
Add to each bowl when serving: 6-8 drops lime juice (just a few drops added to a bowl adds a nice bit of tang)
Serve with fresh crusty bread and enjoy as a light meal.
