Pumpkin Soup – with curry and cream
July 21, 2021
Our friend Gary Michaels loves curried pumpkin soup. Originally he badgered the owners of Capt's Bar and Grill in Salem, MA for their recipe. Subsequently, his wife, Cheryl, has adjusted and modified it so this recipe is family sized and simpler than Capt's. See her notes below about seasonings and cream.
To prepare the pumpkin, use a vege brush and water to scrub the skin of a New England Pie or Honey pumpkin. Put the whole pumpkin on a baking sheet. Bake in 360 oven until the meat is very soft when pierced with a fork (or the pumpkin collapses). The amount of time needed varies with size and type of pumpkin. Remove the stem then let the pumpkin cool. Cut into quarters. Scoop out seeds and string and discard (or make roasted pumpkin seeds). Scoop out the pumpkin pulp and mash well with a potato masher.
Meanwhile, peel and dice the onions and carrots.Place some oil in a large stock pot and add the diced vegetables. Place over medium to low heat and stir to sweat the vegetables. Add sage.
Add about 12 oz (1 ½ cups) of the pumpkin pulp, vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup, curry paste, salt and pepper. Cover with the water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes to soften the vegetables.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and puree in a blender. Adjust flavorings. (At this point you can store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or freeze for future use.)
Slowly heat and add cream (vary the amount to your taste) before serving. Use a rubber spatula to stir-in the cream.
Makes approximately one gallon.
More:For this recipe I use a mild red curry paste concentrate such as Patak's. You can add spice and curry flavor by using up to 3 Tablespoons of paste. This recipe is quite sweet and creamy, which is how Gary likes it and how Capt's serves it (in very small portions). You may find that it is too sweet for family meals. If so, use less brown sugar and less cream. Also, this recipe can be made very tasty, dairy free and low calorie by using only ½ cup brown sugar and using chicken broth instead of cream. Adjust the amount to make the soup as thick or thin as you would like.
Ingredients
Directions
To prepare the pumpkin, use a vege brush and water to scrub the skin of a New England Pie or Honey pumpkin. Put the whole pumpkin on a baking sheet. Bake in 360 oven until the meat is very soft when pierced with a fork (or the pumpkin collapses). The amount of time needed varies with size and type of pumpkin. Remove the stem then let the pumpkin cool. Cut into quarters. Scoop out seeds and string and discard (or make roasted pumpkin seeds). Scoop out the pumpkin pulp and mash well with a potato masher.
Meanwhile, peel and dice the onions and carrots.Place some oil in a large stock pot and add the diced vegetables. Place over medium to low heat and stir to sweat the vegetables. Add sage.
Add about 12 oz (1 ½ cups) of the pumpkin pulp, vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup, curry paste, salt and pepper. Cover with the water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes to soften the vegetables.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and puree in a blender. Adjust flavorings. (At this point you can store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or freeze for future use.)
Slowly heat and add cream (vary the amount to your taste) before serving. Use a rubber spatula to stir-in the cream.
Makes approximately one gallon.
More:For this recipe I use a mild red curry paste concentrate such as Patak's. You can add spice and curry flavor by using up to 3 Tablespoons of paste. This recipe is quite sweet and creamy, which is how Gary likes it and how Capt's serves it (in very small portions). You may find that it is too sweet for family meals. If so, use less brown sugar and less cream. Also, this recipe can be made very tasty, dairy free and low calorie by using only ½ cup brown sugar and using chicken broth instead of cream. Adjust the amount to make the soup as thick or thin as you would like.