Thread: ask a stupid qusestion! pumpkin soup

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I was carving the pumpkin today an said to my eldest son that I fancied some pumpkin soup. So he said what does pumpkin soup taste like...I said isn't it obvious by the name. So he said what does it taste like then? I said erm cat food

a properly made pumpkin soup is amazing. also butternut squash soup. mmm...

Originally Posted by animespook

a properly made pumpkin soup is amazing. also butternut squash soup. mmm...

Yeah I love it, had some roasted pumpkin seeds today too.

Mmmm... We've got about 5 cups of slow roasted pumpkin seeds from all the carving we did. Tasty tasty! They're going out at the party tomorrow night too.

My mum did this awesome cream of pumpkin soup for Thanksgiving and even put it in a pumpkin! It was sooooooooo good!!

Pumpkin soup can taste TWO ways, sweet or savory.

Pumpkin itself doesn't have a lot of flavor, even the types intended for cooking, like the sugar pumpkin or the Dickinson (the plant Libbys uses).

Soups will either go with classic sweet spices, like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and clove, usually with a little broth added and often times some apple chunks for texture and flavor...

and others go savory. Pumpkin really wakes up with sage or curry (one or the other is best, not both) and a salty meat like ham or bacon, with some onion added to the mix.

Most are usually a mix of broth and cream, so creamy seems to be standard for a pumpkin soup, be it sweet or savory.

I really don't recommend a carving pumpkin for cooking. Thus far no breed of pumpkin has been a successful blend of 'good carver' & 'tasty flesh'. Some get close, like Triple Treat or even the classic Field Pumpkin, but most people consider these too watery and bland.
I say carve one type and cook the other.
Roasted and salted seeds from any pumpkin, however, are another story. Most all the pumpkin breed seeds are good munchin'.

This recipe is extremely easy and one of the best pumpkin soup recipies I have found.

Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 fresh bay leaf
2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped (save time and purchase celery already washed, trimmed and cut into sticks, this makes chopping fast work)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning or 2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:
1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, poultry seasoning and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon.

Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish.