Oct 24, 2011

World’s Best Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup has never been on my radar as a particularly delicious meal to cook and consequently consume with great relish. And if I’m being really transparent, I had never actually cut open a pumpkin with the intention of cooking it before just a few months ago. Never. Not even once.

I like pumpkin. I bake with it quite a bit (like when I make these uber yummy Pumpkin Cake Bars), but roasting it myself or making a soup seemed like way too much work. Who has time for that?

But seriously, if you’re in the same boat that I was thinking that canned pumpkin is a superior alternative to pumpkin puree from scratch, can I please encourage you to stand up and promptly jump overboard.

There’s nothing wrong with some organic pumpkin puree from a can in a pinch (provided that pumpkin is the only thing in there!) But when it’s THIS easy to hack open a pumpkin and make your own puree, you really ought to try it.

Why Fresh Pumpkin is the Jam

First of all, pumpkins grow like weeds in so many parts of the country. You probably have them sprouting up in your compost pile if you tossed some seeds in there last year.

Second of all, have you seen the sheer quantity of food that comes from one measly pumpkin?! From the minimal effort of cutting & peeling one pumpkin you can roast half of it (for eating straight up, topping pizzas, or making purees for baking) and make soup with the other half.

And what did it cost you? If you grew it yourself, then nothing. If a friend gave one to you because she had the excess pumpkin growing problem herself, then, nothing again. And even if you bought it from the farmer’s market or store, maybe a couple bucks?

Back when you Northern Hemisphere readers were steaming asparagus and watching your flowers bloom, New Zealand was churning out pumpkins. So as we traveled and stayed with different families, they, of course, served us their variety of the ever popular pumpkin soup.

Lots and lots of pumpkin soup.

And so, may I present my tried and tested version of the world’s best pumpkin soup. (No, this has not been certified by a worldwide survey or scientific experiment, but I stand by my claim just the same.)

It’s incredibly easy and fast to fix up an extra large batch. You may even want to freeze some for a practically instant meal later.

World’s Best Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 of a small pumpkin, peeled & chopped into large cubes

1 sweet potato or kumara, peeled & cubed

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 c. chicken stock

Directions:

Melt butter in the bottom of a big stock pot. Add onion and cook over low heat until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic & cumin and stir continuously for another minute or so.

Add pumpkin, sweet potato, celery, and stock and bring to a simmer. 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.

Have you made the leap to making your own pumpkin puree instead of from a can? What’s your favorite thing to do with pumpkins?

This post is linked to Homestead Barn Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday