Pumpkin Soup

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It has been a rather decadent holiday season around here.  I think the rough year that was 2009 was the catalyst for a lot of comfort food, diet breaking and alcohol consumption this past month.  I know it was around here.  So, as we start the new year I’m trying to feed my family (and myself) a little bit healthier, a little bit diet consciously.  With that in mind, today I decided to try pumpkin soup.  Not having ever eaten it before, I really didn’t know what I was going for.  I read a ton of pumpkin soup recipes, from the extremely vegan, health conscious, to one that seemed conspicuously like pumpkin cheesecake.  I opted to try mostly healthy, with a small splash of decadent.  Here’s what I did:

2 cans of pumpkin (not filling people, just pumpkin – we all know the difference right?) :wassat:
1 med. onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
red pepper flakes (when all was said and done, I used three healthy pinches – use to taste)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (approximate – again to taste)
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cinnamon
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
32 oz. vegetable broth
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper (I did about 7 grinds)
Half and Half or cream

Heat the oil on medium high in a heavy bottomed, large pot.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until glossy and slightly softened. Add the cayenne, ginger, cinnamon and the red pepper flake and saute for a minute or two.  Add the pumpkin and stir.

When the onion, garlic, spices and pumpkin are combined add the vegetable broth and stir until it’s a uniform consistency.  Bring it to a boil then turn it down and let it simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.

At this point, taste it and adjust the seasonings to your liking.  Using an immersion blender (or your blender, but be careful and do it in small batches), puree the soup. Raise the heat and bring to the temperature you’d like (I like it warm, but not too hot), ladle into a bowl and add about a teaspoon of cream.  Stir and eat.

This was really good.  More subtle than a lot of the things I usually make, but the spice builds as you eat it and I found it to be very satisfying.  My son thought it was OK, my daughter ate three bowls and wants me to make it again.

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