As a child, I was never very fond of cooked pumpkin. Sure, I loved Halloween and I always looked forward to the festivities of pumpkin season each year. The pumpkin hunting at Half Moon Bay, collecting the seeds from the pumpkins, and especially seeing the carefully carved candlelit jack o’ lanterns glowing on the front porch. But the thought of actually eating the ooey-gooey pumpkin insides, the stuff that I worked so hard to scoop out, just didn’t sit well with me. At holiday gatherings, there was always a dedicated buffet table spilling with an assortment of spicy fall desserts. One of which was, of course, the traditional pumpkin pie, a dessert I gladly passed over in favor of a slice of warm apple pie instead.

Life was this way for a long time. In fact, I don’t remember exactly when my tastes finally switched gears and my love for pumpkin eventually blossomed. I do know that, now, I look forward to Fall because it means that pumpkin season is in the air; which, in turn, means a good solid couple of months of intoxicating pumpkin roasting is just around the corner.

A few years ago, Heidi at 101 Cookbooks posted a tasty pumpkin soup recipe. This simple soup is inspired by Heidi’s, with the addition of a few extra flavors that, I think, blend well with the curry paste. The soup can be prepared with fresh pumpkin roasted with a little butter or olive oil or you can always use organic canned pumpkin if you wish. The ingredient measurements listed here are a place to start, but depending on your individual taste, you may need to increase your amounts as the soup simmers. Additionally, the soup is very thick before the liquids are added to the pot. Add as much stock as necessary to suit your taste for thickness, but remember you will probably need to add salt liberally in order to keep it from tasting flat.

Red Curry-Cumin Pumpkin Soup

My Recipe inspired by 101 Cookbooks

4 cups pumpkin puree (or 2 cans organic pumpkin)

1 15 oz can light coconut milk

2 tsp cumin

2-4 tsp red curry paste

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider

1 cup vegetable stock

salt to taste

Combine cooled roasted pumpkin and coconut milk in a large soup pot. Stir mixture while heating through. When mixture has cooled transfer to food processor and pulse until smooth. Transfer back into the pot. Stir in vegetable stock and cider and bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer three minutes or so. Stir in curry paste, cumin and brown sugar and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Adjust spices and soup thickness with the stock during this time, tasting often. Add salt to taste. Garnish with sliced toasted almonds.

This makes approximately 6 servings.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 12:30 am and is filed under Fall Recipes, Gluten-Free, Soup, Tasty Savory Recipes, Thoughts and Musings.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.