I made this recipe with the purée of two sugar pumpkins, which is roughly equal to two 15-ounce cans of pumpkin purée. Fresh purée has a luxurious and nuanced flavor that the can misses. There are wonderful instructions for puréeing pumpkin here. On the other hand, there’s no shame in popping open a can of pumpkin. We all know how busy life gets, and you can have this soup on the table in a half-hour, or less.
-2 tablespoon butter
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 knob of fresh ginger, grated (about a tablespoon)
-1 tablespoon curry powder
-2 tablespoons Madeira (optional)
-3-4 cups of pumpkin purée from 2 sugar pumpkins (or two 15-ounce cans)
-6 cups chicken broth (If you aren’t making it yourself, I suggest getting it from a restaurant or buying low-sodium)
-Salt & pepper to taste
-Greek yogurt for serving
Heat butter in a large pot until the foam starts to subside. Throw in the chopped onions and a healthy pinch of salt. Give them a good stir. Stand back and take a whiff of the marriage of butter and onions taking over your consciousness. The pleasure of cooking is most acute for me in these moments. You’re transforming something sharp and raw into something warm and cozy.
When it starts to become golden in color, that’s when to add the ginger and curry powder. Cook for a few more minutes until their fragrance fills the air. Add the Madeira and pumpkin purée and give it a few turns with the spoon. You want the pumpkin to cook for about 3-5 minutes to take the raw bite out of it and take on the tiniest bit of caramelization. This will bring out the inherent sweetness of the pumpkin, so don’t skip this step.
Next add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the flavors all come together. Blend it all together with an immersion blender (or in batches in the regular blender). Put it back on the stove and check the texture. If it seems too thin, cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the texture is velvety. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Most likely, you’ll have to add a good helping of salt to balance out the sweetness of the soup.
You can store this soup in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for a month. Before serving, dollop a helping of whole-milk, Greek yogurt on each. Enjoy!