Pumpkin soup

In honor of Halloween I peeled and chopped a small pie pumpkin today to freeze to maybe make a pie or cheesecake at Christmas. I found a recipe at Chatelaine.com for a roasted pumpkin soup, and I decided to try it. We had it for dinner and it was delicious! I have pasted the name and ingredients below. It was really very easy.

After that I didn't do much other than rest, and a little hand sewing. I will try to post a picture of a postcard that I am hoping to finish tomorrow. I also painted a piece of fabric and put it outside in hopes of getting some sun prints. I had hoped for a little more sun, so the results were not great.

Oven-roasted pumpkin soup with maple-thyme cream

Published by Chatelaine on 10/1/2001

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, about 2 lbs (1 kg)
• 3 tsp (15 mL) olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each of nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 apple
• 1 tsp (5 mL) freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp (5 mL) curry powder
• 3 (10-oz/284-mL) cans chicken broth
• 2 cups (500 mL) water
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
• 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped fresh thyme
• Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut pumpkin into quarters or squash into halves. (Microwaving on high for 2 minutes makes this easier.) Scoop out and discard seeds. Score flesh with a knife, making deep criss-cross slashes. Place flesh-side up on baking sheet. Brush with about 1 teaspoon (5 mL) oil. Peel and cut onion into quarters and toss in a bowl with garlic and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) oil. Add to baking sheet, placing onion cut-side down. Evenly sprinkle pumpkin and onion with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, in centre of 375F (190C) oven until pumpkin is very tender, from 45 to 60 minutes. If onion or garlic begins to burn before pumpkin is cooked, fold foil overtop of them. Remove pan from oven. Cool until they can be handled.
• Meanwhile, peel and core apple, then cut into bite-size pieces. Heat remaining teaspoon (5 mL) oil in a large saucepan set over medium- high heat. Add apple and ginger. Sprinkle with curry powder and stir constantly to develop curry flavour, from 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in broth and water. Scoop out cooked pumpkin from skin and add to soup along with onion. Squeeze out roasted garlic from it papery skins directly into soup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes to develop flavour.
• Meanwhile, using an electric mixer set on high, whip cream with maple syrup in a small deep bowl until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Fold in thyme. If not serving immediately, place in a covered container and refrigerate up to 1 day.
• In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, purée soup in batches. For a smoother consistency, press through a strainer. Serve in soup bowls with a dollop of maple-thyme cream in centre. Soup will keep well in the refrigerator for at least 3 days and in the freezer for about 2 months.