Sunday Soup Day: Pumpkin Soup

Finally, I had the chance to make pumpkin soup. I can trace my affection for making soup back to a coconut curry pumpkin soup that I made in November, 2007. I work tremendously hard for almost three hours cutting a pumpkin and intricately putting together the ingredients. When I finally had the opportunity to taste my creation, I felt a new sense of gratification that I hadn't felt anywhere else. I was hooked on making homemade soup.

For this particular pumpkin soup, I used canned organic pumpkin. I also eliminated the curry flavoring for more of a Southwestern flavor because I just returned from the Southwest. I added black beans, corn and red peppers along with onions, shallots and garlic. I topped it off with cilantro and lime juice. The seasonings were very predictable as I used coriander, cumin, nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper and shrimp was a last minute addition in this soup. The base included vegetable stock, heavy whipping cream and coconut milk. It was an eclectic mix of produce and spices, but the end result was another remarkable homemade soup.

I started by chopping one red pepper, one yellow onion, one shallot and two cloves of garlic. I gently mixed them together in a bowl, simply for my aesthetic pleasure, and sauteed the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil. Once the vegetables were coated in e.v.o.o., I added a half stick of butter. The only reason for adding the butter after the vegetables were already cooking was the fact that I love the smell of garlic and onions cooking in olive oil. To me, the butter softens the aroma.

When the onions became translucent, I added the vegetable stock, heavy whipping cream and coconut milk and let everything come to a boil. Again, there was no rhyme or reason to the order. I was merely "shooting from the hip." It took almost ten minutes for the soup to boil. Then I added black beans, corn and shrimp. I stirred the contents briefly before putting in the coriander, cumin, nutmeg and pepper. I was also ambitious enough to add some cheddar cheese. It cooked another ten minutes and was ready to serve.

Fittingly enough, my first bite was bigger than I could handle and I burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth. Needless to say, that drastically affected my acuity of taste. It was still fabulous, though. It was faintly bland and could have used more salt, but it was still very smooth and rich. The lime gave it a hint of sweetness that led to a lustful curiosity by others.

Pumpkin soup captures my heart and senses like no other soup. The velvety texture and pleasent taste made my tummy happy. This recipe will likely do the same for you.

Ingredients:
3 cans (15 oz.) pure packed organic pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 cans (15 oz.) organic black beans
32 ounces organic vegetable stock (from Trader Joe's, of course)
1 can (8 oz.) organic coconut milk
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
1 cup sweet corn
1 yellow onion (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 shallot (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup brown sugar
10 oz. precooked shrimp
juice from 1/2 a lime
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 teaspoons coriander
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
salt (to taste)

Music: Kate Nash - Pumpkin Soup
Weather: 47-degrees