Once, a long time ago, on the Carribean Island of St. John, on the far side of the island in a little shack of a restaurant surrounded by goats and lapping waves, we had pumpkin soup that tasted like heaven. I’ve had many kinds of pumpkin soup since then, all competing for “as good as” because it couldn’t have been better, but to no avail. Most pumpkin soups are too sweet and taste like pie. This one tasted slightly spicy and creamy, a hint of curry perhaps. The truth is pumpkin isn’t by nature sweet. Even the most gorgeous 35-pound fairytale pumpkin I processed the day before Thanksgiving was not sweet. But it did yield enough to make soup AND pie. And so I did.
Here is my pumpkin soup recipe. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to that soup long ago (minus the lapping waves, the wild goats, and that feeling of sunburn on your skin and saltwater in your hair…).
Savory Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 white chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
- 4 cups pumpkin (either cubed and raw or already cooked and pureed)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Melt the butter and sauté the garlic, onion, spices, and herbs.
- Add the pumpkin and chicken stock and cook until the pumpkin is cooked.
- Puree the soup and return to the pan. Add the cream and lime juice.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
I garnished the soup with a swirl of cream because that’s all I had and I was anxious to eat it. It was delicious!
Note: If not serving to children or picky eaters, of course you can add lots of hotness with the hot pepper of your choice.
Can’t wait to try it!!
sounds wonderful! the only change (for me) is vegetable broth.
Look forward to trying his recipe!
I’ve made several variations of pumkin soup & what I have found, the soups I enjoyed the most… I roasted the pumkin first, which brought out the richest flavor.
Instead of cream, try unsweetened coconut milk/almond milk for a non dairy, or veg broth just as good for vegan. Also I Carmelize the onions for a richer flavor. Toasted Cumin seeds before grinding into powder also awesome. I haven’t tried the lime- but looking forward to that!!
Hi Maria, Made this soup today with puree from my homegrown sugar pumpkins. It is wonderful… was especially nice after shovelling snow! Thanks for sharing the recipe and its tropical story.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe Maria, Your soup was fabulous! I made a few changes to make it vegan possible and my family loved it. I Read your book Organic Manifesto and LOVE everything your doing! You have inspired me to not only eat healthier but to share information with my friends and family. Thank you!
I am looking forward to making a mixed type as Maria, Angela and Diana have suggested. I am keen on roasted pumpkin. Waau it must be awesome.