Hot Like Ebola!!!: Spicy Pumpkin Curry Soup

I typed this out for our neighbors, and thought it would go well with the other recipe here. It is SO GOOD. I want to make it, but pumpkin is £1.30 a can here, and we don't have a blender or food processor to puree the pumpkin ourself.

4 tablespoons butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3-4 teaspoons curry powder
Cayenne to taste (use less if you want it less spicy)
3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin
5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for you veggies out there)
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt

1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over mediium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.

2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.

4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. Add a teaspoon of salt.

***Notes:
1. All of the times I have made this, I have halved the recipe. It always works great.
2. The way we make it (about 1 to 2 tsp cayenne) is pretty fabulously spicy. The original recipe called for about 1/4 tsp cayenne, so move as the spirit leads you on that account.
3. I have made it with canned pumpkin and roasted pumpkin. It did taste better with the fresh off the vine roasted pumpkin, but not enough better to be worth the effort of cutting up a pumpkin just for that.
4. However, if you do use fresh pumpkin, the toasted seeds make an excellent garnish. So does a little cream.

:: submitted by Jenevieve, 12:15 PM
id="comments">5 Comments:

I adore this soup. And I miss you two like crazy. I wish you could be here to keep us company and generally be Grand Protectors.

hearts.