We love curried pumpkin soup and continue to sample variations of this recipe. One winter day aboard Gyatso, Lisa decided to turn some cooked pumpkin into soup instead of pie. She drew from three recipes: 1) pumpkin soup recipe from Cruising World magazine, December 2004; 2) West Indian pumpkin soup recipe from God’s kitchen in the Soup’s On cookbook from her hometown, Grand Rapids, Michigan USA; and 3) Sunny’s pumpkin soup from Don’t Stop the Cook, a cookbook we picked up in the Caribbean in 2007. (Yes, we had a shelf full of cookbooks aboard Gyatso!) The recipe below includes the basics and several variations, all are excellent.

SOUP BASE
1 T butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped or grated
4 cloves garlic, diced or crushed

Additional options:
1 stick of celery, finely chopped

Sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until soft or drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for 25 minutes. Cool and purée in
a food processor (if available, and if not, grate vegetables for a creamier texture) until smooth.

SEASONING
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp white or black pepper (or to taste)

Additional options:
1/4 tsp nutmeg or 1 small chili, seeded and finely chopped

MAIN INGREDIENTS
2 cups of chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 cups or one 15-ounce can of solid, packed pumpkin, or fresh pumpkin, cooked and mashed
1 1/2 cups (14 fluid-ounce-can) coconut milk and 1 T lime juice or (12 fluid-ounce-can) evaporated milk or 1 cup half-and-half and 1/2 cup heavy cream*

Stir the seasonings into the vegetables and sauté for another minute or add to the puree in a large sauce pan. Add the broth
and pumpkin and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the milk or cream and serve immediately.

GARNISH
Depending on the ingredients selected above, chose an appropriate garnish from one or more of the following:
fresh parsley
yogurt or sour cream
toasted coconut flakes (if coconut milk is used)

* If watching your waistline, use coconut milk or reduced fat evaporated milk.