Thursday, October 1, 2009

Pumpkin Curry Soup

*My Black Tea Fig Bread was entered into a contest at food blog Pham Fatale. The winner gets a $179 bread knife. Moreover, if you vote, YOU are eligible to win a knife as well. Click here, sign in, and vote for my bread!*

It is autumn! The temperature in Los Angeles today is around 85 degrees, but who cares? Not me. I am officially welcoming the fall by doing the following this week:
  • Wearing scarves.
  • Drinking pumpkin spice coffee at Starbucks.
  • Burning fragrant candles around the house.
  • Sewing Aaron's first Halloween outfit (more on that some other time).
  • Making pumpkin scones and pumpkin soup.
Tell me, what have you been doing to welcome the fall season?

The other day I made this pumpkin curry soup from miscellaneous items we had in our pantry and refrigerator. What a fun way to cook soup - just throw in whatever you've got! I had leftover pumpkin puree from the scones I made earlier, and simply worked the rest of the soup around the pumpkin. The addition of garam masala gave the soup a pleasant spiciness that made the house smell wonderful. Homemade soup is so easy to make, and worlds better than store-bought canned soup. Plus, you can make a big batch and store it in the freezer for some quick meals later.

Happy soup-making!


Pumpkin Curry Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 14-ounce cans chicken broth
1/2 cup sherry
1 tablespoon garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
plain yogurt for garnish

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until onion is translucent. Add celery and potatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in pumpkin puree, chicken broth, sherry, garam masala, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook about 20 minutes until desired thickness. Garnish with plain yogurt.

7 comments:

  1. I'm trying hard to imagine welcoming fall when it's 85-degrees...I don't think I can do it! I'm not a big pumpkin soup fan - pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice latte...but your photo makes this soup look so yummy and perfect for the 60-degree fall day it is here in the north burbs of Chicago. I guess I'll have to go out to Garden Fresh to pick up a few ingredients!

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  2. $175 for a bread knife ??!!
    Well I have voted so hopefully you get it ;)
    PLus all these bread recipes look delicious (but I'm sure yours is the best.

    Good luck

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  3. Yummy! it's nice to see what's so common there can never really be found normally here, at least in people's homes. lol. pumpkin isn'ty too big here.

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  4. It is truly fall here, I'm happy to say. Cool temperatures, high winds, mild thunderstorms, and colorful leaves! I'm celebrating the season by reading voraciously.

    Can't wait to try your soup. Will fit in beautifully at Thanksgiving, I'm sure.

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  5. yummy I love pumpkin gonna try this some time soon! thanks!

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  6. Just found your site. The pumpkin soup sounds good. It's getting cool enough for soup in central TX. One question though, what is garam masala?
    Thanks

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  7. Anonymous - garam masala is an Indian spice mix used in many curry dishes. If you don't have any on hand, you might consider using curry powder or tumeric.

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