Fall. Cooked Down, Swirled and Put in a Bowl

Just so you know, I'm not planning on this blog to be solely craft projects. There is no way I won't end up sharing cooking adventures and an absurd number of pictures of my dog with you. So just go ahead and get ready for that.

We had a couple over for dinner last night and that meant Wednesday night was spent cleaning and cooking and last night was spent eating and enjoying. That also means I don't have a project to share so I thought I would share the pumpkin soup I made.

I made this soup a few weeks ago using left over fresh pumpkin. At first, I thought the idea of pumpkin soup sounded unpleasant but then I saw recipes with curry in it and the idea took on a whole new flavor. (heheehee get it?) I was shocked how much I liked it. The couple we had over are pretty foodie so I thought they were a safe audience for my new favorite soup. (Hi Morgan! Thanks for following :)


You will start by sauteing 1/4 of a medium onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and a handful or two of carrots in olive oil. The carrots are for sweetness and color. You wont taste them at all.

These aren't quite done. I let them cook a few minutes more.

 You are ready to move on when the onion is fairly translucent. If you get impatient and  it isn't fully cooked it is okay. They will get a chance to cook a little more. See my cute helper? He helps by wedging himself between me and the counter/oven or laying down somewhere very near by. He also cleans up the pumpkin I accidentally fling on the front of the dishwasher. (I'm not a very neat cook but I promise it all gets cleaned up...eventually)

Okay back on track, once those are nice and cook, add in the pumpkin and 3 cups of chicken broth.  This time, I used canned pumpkin because I couldn't find a fresh pumpkin. I think the canned has a different texture that isn't as good but it definitely will do.

Make sure you get 100% pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.


Now is the time to throw in some spices and then let it simmer for a while. I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, 3/4 teaspoon of red curry paste, a dash of clove, a double dash of nutmeg, a dash of pepper, and a triple dash of salt. That might be too much curry so just do what taste right to you. I am sorry for the inaccurate measurements. I know my dad would be cringing right now if he were reading this. (chemical engineer + cook = an interesting approach to recipes. and by interesting I mean wonderful, of course)

The soup before the blender.

Seriously, who keeps getting me off topic? Back on track, let the pumpkin simmer for a good while. You want it to tasted cooked and like the spices are melded well. Also, the olive oil used to saute earlier should create a sheen on top of the pumpkin. How long does this take? I don't really know. I ate dinner and chopped up veggies for the roast so may be 30-45 minutes? You want all of those spices to cook together. But be careful, if you let it get too hot it will try to boil and do this:

When you think it is done, you are going to blend it into creamy goodness.

Did you know blenders have a soup setting? I didn't either until half way through my second time to make this soup. It works pretty well too. I put the soup in the blender a third at a time and let it blend for a while since I wasn't liking the canned pumpkin texture. Just do as much as you need to in order to get it how you want.

When you get done blending, put it all back in your pot and add 3/4 cup of half and half. Let that cook for may be 10 more minutes.

The half and half will change the color and consistency of your soup.

 I like adding something to break up the texture. The first time I made it, I used small pasta shells for that  but I forgot them the second time and it was definitely missing. My dinner guests have done this before and added black beans which I think sounds wonderful. I didn't get a picture but it was really quite pretty served up in a white bowl with a sprinkling of parsley on top.


Okay so in short, the ingredients you will need:

1/4 Medium onion

2 cloves of garlic

handful of carrots

olive oil

salt/pepper

1 can of pumpkin

1 1/2 cans of chicken broth (3 cups)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon red curry paste (might be too much)

dash of nutmeg

dash of clove

3/4 cup half and half

cooked small pasta shells or black beans




I hope you get a chance to try out this soup. It really is good. Definitely taste like fall, cooked down, swirled, and put in a bowl.

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