Hi! I know that at this time of year you have recipes for pumpkin stuff coming out of the ying-yang but I’m going to throw ours for ‘Pumpkin Soup’ into the pot (hehe) (a) because it’s tasty, (b) because it was made with roasted pumpkin pulp from fresh pumpkins that we prepared last fall and had in our freezer, and (c) because it seems very rich and decadent but is quite low in fat.
Our fresh cooking pumpkins are not quite ready yet here in Canada, but we had one last bag of fresh-frozen pumpkin pulp that we prepared last fall. I don’t mind canned pumpkin but after Nick introduced me to ‘real’ home roasted pumpkin, I am sold that it tastes quite a bit better. It’s more work yes, but the extra delicious flavor is worth it. Plus you only have to do it once a year and then you have fresh (frozen) pumpkin all year long. I’ve included a slideshow below of when we made our roasted pumpkin puree if you’re interested in roasting and freezing your own. Here’s a further motivator to consider doing so …. Pumpkin pie in July, made with fresh-frozen roasted pumpkin pulp is a real treat!
Anyway, use fresh pumpkin pulp or canned for this recipe. The other ‘magic’ ingredient that we used in this soup that we have just discovered makes a really nice creamy tasting soup, but is low in fat, is Evaporated milk. This is regular cow’s milk with 60 percent of the water removed. We bought a can by mistake when making Key Lime Pie a little while ago, when we meant to be buying Sweet Condensed Milk. So we had this can in the pantry and I’ll admit that I was a doubter when Nick suggested using it to make soup, but it truly does make a soup that is a lovely texture. Since we discovered it, we have had this pumpkin soup, leek and potato, and cauliflower soups, that I would precede with “Cream of …” but there was no cream in them. But really, if I didn’t know otherwise I would definitely have thought there was. And who wants the extra fat and cholesterol if you don’t need it, right?! To give you a feel of how much lower in fat it is, 1 tablespoon Evaporated Milk = 1gram of fat, Light Cream (aka coffee cream) = 2grams, Whipping Cream = 5grams, and Heavy Cream (the type usually used in cream soups) = 6grams of saturated fat.
Ingredients
- - 1 1/2 cups pumpkin pulp, fresh or canned.
- - 2 cups broth
- - 1 can (370ml) Evaporated milk (note: this is not sweetened condensed milk)
- - 1 tablespoon olive oil
- - 1/2 chopped white onion (about 3/4 cup chopped)
- - 1 large carrot chopped
- - 1 inch piece of minced fresh ginger
- - 2 cloves of garlic, middle core removed and then minced
- - 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- - salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
- - fresh herbs if you have them. We used rosemary and chives.
Instructions
In a large pot, heat oil. Add garlic, ginger and onion and saute for about 2 minutes. Add carrot and continue cooking until softened. Add broth, pumpkin, nutmeg and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Puree with either an immersion blender or in a food processor. Return to pot. Stir in evaporated milk and heat until just hot. Don't boil it once you've added the milk. Stir in chopped fresh herbs, and serve with some freshly ground black pepper.
http://www.loulou.to/recipes/food-friday-pumpkin-soup/We had ours with some homemade whole wheat knot-rolls that Nick made, using dough prepared in our bread-maker. About that thing … we just got it in the spring with some Christmas money from Nick’s parents, and have to say that we really love that thing. The one we have is by Breadman, and we ordered it over the internet here.
And since I didn’t get any shots of the soup being prepared I’ll toss in some pictures of the resident baker at work instead. (Yes, he is wearing a hairnet and always does when he’s cooking. It’s a holdover from days spent in restaurant kitchens.)
Thanks very much for visiting. Wishing you a great week-end, coming up!
xo loulou
mmm… pumpkin soup. yum! tis the season for soups!
Loooove pumpkin soup! Especially when it’s fall!
X
http://dipitblack.wordpress.com
Nom!
I love pumpkin soup and have a favorite recipe for curried pumpkin soup that I like to make for Thanksgiving. I made it last year and took it to my sister-in-law’s house to share. My brother-in-law had the brilliant idea to put the glass dish directly onto his gas range burner to heat it up. You know what happened next. Pumpkin soup exploded from the glass dish all over the beautiful gas range, into every nook and cranny – even in between the layers of glass in the oven window. They still smell curry when they turn the oven on. Good times. I felt like a huge heel for even bringing it. This year… I will just make if for my little family and keep it here at home!
One question…Is Nick wearing a hair net? That is rather impressive.
Hi Jenny. My goodness … that is hilarious and sad all rolled into one. But always remember, it wasn’t the soup’s fault! And yes, Nick is wearing a hairnet … he always does when he’s cooking. I actually updated the post to say that, otherwise people might think my guy has a very weird hairdo!
I’ve been after a decent recipe for ages, pumpkins are so cheap in the shops right now, thanks for sharing! xxx
Can I fly you to Miami to make dinner for me?? Everything you make looks delicious!!!
XOXO
I’m glad you explained the hairnet – I really did wonder.
Hello you two from your ‘plastic’ friend across the pond…
haha, hey you :) … I’m so used to seeing the hairnet that I didn’t think to mention it, but then my on-line friend J asked about it, so I knew it needed some ‘splaining.