Pumpkin Season

I think the second the first leaf hits the ground anywhere in the US an alarm sounds everywhere, and pumpkin flavored everything hits the shelves, the coffee shops, and donut emporia; IT’S PUMPKIN SEASON!  People across the land rejoice. Social media lights up like, well, like a Jack O Lantern. There are plenty of pumpkin flavored things that actually contain some pumpkin, but ironically, all those lattes and smoothies don’t. They aren’t pumpkin flavored at all. They’re flavored with spices you’d find in pumpkin pie, or a pumpkin muffin, but no pumpkin, and frankly if you thought about it for even ten seconds you’d realize that adding pumpkin to a coffee drink would render the consistency lumpy at best. I do not like pumpkin beverages! Though perhaps if I was at Hogwarts I might give pumpkin juice a try.

I do love pumpkin. Pumpkins are so versatile, they are great cut up and roasted like other orange squash, and who doesn’t like pumpkin bread? Pumpkin pie is a bit more controversial… some love it, some hate it. I like it, but it’s the kind of thing I need to be in the mood for, like egg salad. There is one thing pumpkin I am always in the mood for, and that is pumpkin soup. I am not a hero, I buy canned pumpkin. I have used both fresh pumpkin and canned and I can’t tell the difference once it’s soup.

Pumpkin goes well with lots of herbs and spices. I have made a luscious pumpkin bisque, though I posted it last year using butternut squash, and it is at least as good with pumpkin. If you want a sweet flavor profile, add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, maple syrup, or brown sugar. Pumpkin also goes well with other warm, but more savory spices, like cumin, turmeric, curry, and earthy herbs like sage and rosemary. These heavier tastes can stand up to the power of pumpkin. 

The soup I offer today is a bit lighter. It is still smoothed with cream, but the cream is really optional. This one has a secret surprise ingredient—peanut butter which adds creaminess and subtle flavor. I loved tinkering with it, and by using a can rather than a whole pumpkin I ended up with two quarts of soup, which I think is the perfect amount. I started out putting it through a strainer, then had a better thought, and used my food mill, much faster and less messy. To get a nice smooth texture this will work better than making a puree, but you won’r ruin it if you do.

It is the perfect Halloween colored soup, and if it will be cold where you love Friday, this would make a great post trick-or-treat warm up. I wish you a fun and spooky holiday! 

What do you cook with pumpkin?

Fall Pumpkin Soup

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Ingredients

• 1/28 Oz. can pumpkin (Make sure you get pumpkin, not pie filling!)
• 1/2 Medium onion (chopped)
• 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 head garlic (peeled and smashed)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder (mild)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (not pancake syrup!)
• 2 heaped tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (safflower, or peanut)

Directions

Step 1

Heat oil on medium heat in a large soup pot When oil is shimmering, add onion, cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes Add turmeric and curry powder, continue to cook and stir for 2 more minutes Add garlic to pan, cook another 2 minutes

Step 2

Add 3 cups of stock to pot, and then add pumpkin, and ginger and stir well. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes

Step 3

Put peanut butter into a heat safe bowl and ladle a cup or more of soup over peanut butter to incorporate into soup, add more soup as needed. Once peanut butter is well mixed into soup, return that mixture back to the soup pot, add salt.

Step 4

Put soup through a food mill or coarse strainer, and return to pot

Step 5

Add maple syrup, and vinegar, stir well and taste for seasoning. Add more stock if soup is too thick, if using cream, add that first, if not you will probably need all the remaining stock.