I grew some lovely sugar pumpkins last fall and had a few left sitting around the kitchen. Since its almost Valentine's day, I decided it was time to cook them. I took out the seeds and made some tasty roasted pumpkin seeds then I roasted the pumpkins
So far so good, but then I hit a wall - I couldn't decide on what to do with the soup. All internet searches turned up only so-so sounding pumpkin soup recipes. Then I had an idea.
I follow a lot of people on Twitter: friends, colleagues, thoughtful writers, good cooks and a few professional chefs. I remembered the many beautiful food "tweets" that Chef Rick Bayless posts - and he posts a lot (you can follow him at http://twitter.com/Rick_Bayless and I know he sometimes answers questions from his followers. So I tweeted him...
@rick_bayless have some sugar pumpkins that need roasting. Any soup ideas?
10:58 AM Jan 29th from web
and he replied !!
roasted garlic, chipotle chiles, cilantro. RT @cynthiamckenna: @rick_bayless have some sugar pumpkins that need roasting. Any soup ideas?
It sounded good to me so I roasted garlic
Pureed the roasted pumpkin
Added a couple of chipotles and some of the adobo sauce and pureed some more
I chopped an onion and caramelized it in a heavy pan...
I added quite a lot of roasted garlic, because we love garlic then added some stock - I had some turkey stock in the freezer and let it cook for a while. I really am going to do a post about how to make great stock...
Back to the soup...
Then out to the garden to get some fresh cilantro - which is a winter plant here in Texas
Add the chopped cilantro and let it wilt a bit in the hot soup, finally, adjust for salt and pepper.
The soup was delicious. Warm, satisfying, and really simple. You could use any winter squash, or even use canned pumpkin. Adjust the heat by adding more or less chipotle.
We'll make this again. It was the perfect dinner for a chilly winter's night. Special thanks to Rick Bayless for his generous spirit and culinary expertise.
Happy Eating!
Cynthia - you can find me on twitter http://twitter.com/cynthiamckenna
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Cynthia McKenna is a therapist in private practice in the Texas Hill Country. She specializes in anxiety and depression and loves helping people change their lives. You can find out more about her work here. When she isn't working, she's usually in the garden or the kitchen.
