As one would suspect, pumpkin soup starts with...a pumpkin!
I cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the pulp and the seeds (to be roasted later) and trim off the stem.
Next up are the aromatics. Carrots, an onion and a few cloves of garlic.
Dice the carrots and the onion fairly small and mince the ginger.
Next, put a soup pot on the stove and heat it up. Add a small amount of vegetable oil to keep things from sticking, then the onions and carrots go in over medium low heat.
The veggies cook slowly. The goal is to soften them and drive out some of the moisture while avoiding browning. This will take 10-12 minutes.
Once the carrots are soft, add the garlic.
Stir it in and cook until you smell the garlic, only 30-60 seconds. Then add in the pumpkin, 3-4 cups of chicken stock and the following tied up in a cheese cloth:
- 2 tsp candied ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 or so allspice berries
Once everything is completely softened, remove the cheesecloth bundle and puree the soup. You can do this either with a food processor, or with an immersion blender until silky smooth.
Add 1 can (about 1 and 2/3 cups) coconut milk and stir it in, then season to taste.
Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with roasted pumpkin seeds. I also floated a crostini in the center.
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin
- 3 carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp candied ginger
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 allspice berries
- 1 can coconut milk (1 and 2/3 cups)
