It was a combination of things that inspired Pumpkin Soup for lunch. Mostly the soup had to be put together quickly, so that when my friends’ new puppy – a cousin to my now year old puppy - came over for a first play date we could carry a cup of warm soup outside while watching the dogs get acquainted. A second factor was my lack of planning and the fact that all ingredients were present and easy to throw together in no time at all. My husband and I have opposite points of view on the stocking of a kitchen- while I believe in being prepared for a snow week, floods, plagues, whatever may come, he thinks you should buy groceries 10 minutes before you need them.
The fact that I had a can of pumpkin for no real reason at all practically threw his universe out of spin and, of course, I was just delighted to uncover such a treasure in the back of the cabinet. So pumpkin soup it was. After a quick sauté of onions, celery, and garlic I added 15 oz. of canned pumpkin (it was a large can and I saved the rest for pumpkin bread) and 4 cups of vegetable broth. Red pepper flakes and a pinch of turmeric added an extra note of flavor. After about 10 minutes of simmering an emersion blender did the work of making everything nice and creamy, but any blender or food processor could do the job. It will come as no surprise that a quick taste inspired a small shot of Sherry. That was perfection – almost. One tablespoon of butter stirred in before serving added richness without too much in the way of extra fat and calories. I am not a nutritionist, but gee – this soup seems pretty healthy to me. In fact I was curious enough after the fact, to look up the nutritional stats and learn that a cup of pumpkin has 30 calories and lots of good stuff like potassium and vitamins. (Time to make those muffins!) Soup is almost always delicious, but sometimes could stand to be dolled up a bit, so to serve, a spoon of sour cream and a sprinkle of toasted pecans added the wow factor. Was it pretty – yes! Did it smell wonderful – yes! Best of all it tasted just marvelous, even decadent. Don’t wait for a new puppy to give this quick yummy soup a try in your own kitchen. But a new puppy is pretty much fun!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
15 oz can pumpkin
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ tsp turmeric
pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp Sherry
1 Tbsp butter
For serving: Sour cream and chopped pecans or walnuts
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
Add onions, celery, and garlic to pot and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes
Add broth and pumpkin, stir and heat to a simmer.
Add turmeric and pepper flakes, continue to simmer for about 5 minutes.
With an emersion blender or in a food processor or blender puree soup to a thick consistency. (Remember to be careful with hot soup in a blender – small batches work best.)
Stir in Sherry and butter in to soup.
Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of nuts.
*Soup can be refrigerated and reheats nicely.
