Curried Apple Pumpkin Soup
Despite today’s unseasonably warm weather, I was inspired to do something with those leftover Halloween pumpkins. Over the years, I have learned to buy my pumpkins with the primary goal of turning them into something yummy. For me, there is no point in buying humongous pumpkins; I am far too lazy to carve scary faces into them and don’t have the physical strength or patience to break them down for soup, bread, pie, etc. So, here I was with an 8lb organic pumpkin and two apples from a farm stand just outside Woodstock, NY (late October visit and yes, apples do keep that long but just barely), plus some Vidalia onions and apple cider. One of my favorite and super easy ways to use fresh pumpkin is in a curried apple pumpkin soup. And no need to worry about slicing that pumpkin (or my fingers), thanks to my lovely husband!
For the pumpkin
Any size pumpkin which will yield roughly 6 cups roasted pumpkin chunks (according to The Victory Garden Cookbook, a cooked pumpkin yields half its original weight)
Extra virgin olive oil
For the soup
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia or sweet onion, diced
2 apples, peeled and cored, diced (any variety)
2 tsp. sweet curry powder (I use Penzeys Sweet Curry Power)
1/2 cup apple cider
Roughly 6 cups roasted pumpkin
4 cups organic low-sodium vegetable broth
up to 3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. (I used the convection roast feature on my oven, set to 450 degrees F.) Thoroughly wash the pumpkin and remove all dirt. Cut around and remove the crown of the pumpkin. Cut the pumpkin into large, wide slices (2-3″ wide). Scoop/cut the seeds out of the slices. Don’t worry if you can’t get all the strands out; you can easily cut them out once the pieces are roasted. Place the slices on foil-covered, rimmed baking sheets (you may need up to three sheets, depending on how big your pumpkin is). Drizzle olive oil across the slices of pumpkin; no need to fully cover; just a drizzle is sufficient. Roast for 40 minutes. If you are not using convection roast, rotate sheets halfway through. Roasted pumpkin should be soft enough to run a sharp knife through. Cool, about 30 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, use a sharp paring knife to remove the peel from the pumpkin slices. Also, remove any burned bits off the top of the slices and any strands. Cut trimmed slices into 1″ pieces. Set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. When shimmering (about 4 minutes), add diced onion and lower heat to medium-low. Cook onions until soft, stirring every few minutes, about 8 minutes. Add diced apple and saute for 2 minutes. Add cider, raise heat to medium-high, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until cider is thick and syrupy. Add curry powder and stir to coat onion and apple, 2Â minutes. Add roasted pumpkin and stir to combine. Soup should appear thick and mushy at this point. Heat vegetable broth in a separate pan or in microwave. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring to make sure mixture is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable broth and stir. Taste for salt, add 2 teaspoons, reserving the last teaspoon. Once soup comes to low simmer, reduce to low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add white pepper and blend. Taste for salt and add 1 tsp., if necessary. Blend. Serve.
Notes:
- This soup freezes superbly. Cool to room temp, store in freezer-proof containers. Freeze up to 3 months.
- What do you do with the leftover roasted pumpkin? Mash it and freeze it for up to 3 months. After defrosting, drain the liquid before using.
- This soup is delicious as a vegan soup but if you want to add some richness, blend in some cream. Blend 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipping cream or half and half at the end. Don’t use milk; it will curdle. You need something with some fat.
Sounds great !!
Great soup! I substituted spicy curry powder for sweet, becuase that is what I had on hand. I also added a little nutmeg. It was a great treat on a nice fall day!
I love it, Jess! Thanks for trying the soup. I love soup because there are so many variations. If you don’t have one ingredient, it’s easy to substitute for another!
Looks delicious. Another non-dairy way to make a soup like this creamier is to add a little (maybe 1/4c) short-grain rice. It makes things a little creamier or more glutinous when blended. Hooray for homemade soup!
Hi! What a great idea and one I have not considered. Thanks for the suggestion. Campbell’s has it right – soup is good food!