Monday, January 26, 2015

curried pumpkin & wild rice soup

 


My husband cleaned out the pantry in an effort to make room for our waffle iron a few days ago; and while he was moving things around he noticed that I had extra cans of pumpkin.

Well, by the time he finished organizing a few of the selves, he brought me 10 cans of pumpkin.

TEN cans! Really? . . . Ten?

I remember buying more than usual last Fall, out of fear that I wouldn't be able to find any by Thanksgiving. (Yes, that actually happened to me a few years ago!)

Apparently, I bought a few too many . . . and so inspired this curried pumpkin soup.




It's soup season, so I turned to my personal cookbook and found one of my favorite curried soup recipes.  

It's so easy to prepare . . . and flavorful, too!

  



The homemade 'curry paste' and canned pumpkin make up the base of this warm spiced and tender sweet velvety soup . . . and the simple additions (like rice, peanuts, and chicken or medium-boiled eggs) add to its heartiness. 

Although this recipe calls for wild rice, I had black rice on hand - so that's what I used. I love it's hearty, chewy texture in soups and stews.

You can also add shredded chicken, but I prefer adding sliced medium-boiled eggs.  It might sound strange, but it's delicious!

Our Indian friends make a version of this soup with hard-boiled eggs, and we love it. 







So if you have an extra can, or two, of pumpkin sitting in your cupboard . . . consider making curried pumpkin soup for your family.  It's a delicious way to keep warm!

'Tis the season for soup!




curried pumpkin & wild rice soup
.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .
1/2 cup wild rice blend
1 Tablespoon golden or dark raisins
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup roasted cashews, almonds or peanuts, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
fresh cilantro, chopped
4 medium-boiled eggs (optional)
.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Preparation
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice, and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Pulse 1/4 cup of the nuts, 3 Tablespoons vinegar, 1 Tablespoon raisins, 2 Tablespoons water, tomato paste, curry powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor until a coarse paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the coarse paste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to separate and the paste is brick red, 6 to 8 minutes. Add splashes of water if the paste sticks to the bottom of the pan at all.

Add the chicken broth, pumpkin puree, and 1 cup water, and whisk until blended. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and continue simmering until the soup has reduced and is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt, and stir in about 3/4 of the cooked wild rice.

Divide the hot soup among 4 soup bowls. Top each with some of the remaining rice and 1/4 cup cashews, pepper flakes, fresh cilantro, and quartered medium-boiled eggs (*optional).

How to make medium boiled eggs . . .
Put the eggs in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1 inch. Set the pan over medium-high heat and as soon as the water reaches a brisk simmer, start timing. As the eggs cook, adjust the heat as needed to maintain a brisk simmer. (Though we talk about boiling eggs,  the fact is that cooking eggs in boiling water cracks the shell and makes the eggs tough and rubbery. A brisk simmer works much better.)


For medium boiled . . . briskly simmer eggs for 4-1/2 minutes. The yolk will be solid but still dark orange-yellow, moist, and dense in the middle. Beautiful and delicious quartered on a salad or in soup.




Come by for another great recipe using canned pumpkin, here


LET'S STAY in touch!





Sharing with . . . .

Stephanie Lynn, It's Overflowing, Twelve O Eight, Carrie This Home, Baking in Pajamas, Huckleberry Love, Dwellings, Smart Party Planning,  The Dedicated HouseMod Vintage LifeLori's Culinary Creations, Home Stories, StoneGableAn Extraordinary Day, I'm Not a Trophy Wife, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Rustic Refined,  Tumbleweed ContessaA Stroll Thru Life,Life With GarnishElizabeth & Co,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern StyleThe Recipe CriticJanine HuldieCarolyn's Homework,  Fluster Buster   Designs by Miss Mandee,  Craftie Allie,  Wednesday morning The Blissful Bee,  The Newlywed Pilgrimage Chic California, Lamberts LatelyLive Laugh RoweSweet Bella Roos, The Charm of Home, From My Front Porch to ours, Delightsome Life.Posed PerfectionKatherine's CornerNancherrowThe Freshman Cook,  Jann OlsonHome  Maid SimpleAnderson + Grant,  Rooted in ThymeEveryday Enchanted Home, Pure Grace Farms A Dish of Daily Life, Bacon Time, Sunflower Supper Club, Tater Tots and Jello,  Cooking with CurlsMade from PinterestSimply Gloria


5 comments:

  1. Yum! I'm sitting here bundled up in the house because I can't get warm today! A bowl of this soup would be just the ticket. Amazing! :)

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  2. This soup sounds incredible! I bet it's the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter's night. Pinning :)

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  3. I actually do have a couple extra cans of pumpkin in my pantry...and several cans of cranberry sauce leftover from Thanksgiving too! The soup sounds delicious - perfect for a cold winter day!
    Shelley

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  4. Perfect Fall to winter meal! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  5. Sounds wonderful! I have some pumpkin in my pantry too, though not ten cans :), pinning to try. Thanks for sharing at What'd a You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday morning :)

    ReplyDelete

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