Pumpkin Soup

Happy Pumpkin Day!

One favorite Halloween tradition chez moi is to eat pumpkin soup from a pumpkin bowl. This pureed soup is warming, but not too heavy, spiced with a little curry powder, coriander, and plenty of ground cumin. In addition to the pumpkin puree, I included onions, leeks, winter squash, potatoes, and carrots.

Chock full of healthy veggies, this soup is this week's contribution to Sweetnick's Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday (ARF=Antioxidant Rich Food).

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Soup:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 leek
1 large carrot, diced
3/4 cup winter squash, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp butter
8 oz vegetable stock
8 oz water (or as desired)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 can pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup of half & half (or milk)


Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook the onion for 4-5 minutes over med-low heat. Add the garlic, potatoes, leek, carrot, squash, and butter. Stir well, cover, and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Uncover and add the vegetable stock, water, cumin, coriander, and curry powder and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. Add the pumpkin puree, season, and stir well. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the half & half. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Serve in a small cleaned out pumpkin (after removing the insides, wipe with a little olive oil), topped with sour cream and cilantro (or mini marshmallows for the kids).