Pumpkin soup recipe with coconut milk and curry

This pumpkin soup is a spectacular and unusual autumn recipe to surprise diners. The mixture of pumpkin with coconut milk plus a touch of curry make this cream a very tasty starter. Using the method described, it will also not be necessary to have prepared a vegetable broth in advance.

Wash the leek. Peel the onion, garlic, carrot and parsnip. Chop everything, heat a little oil in a large pot and fry the vegetables over moderate heat. Peel the pumpkin, remove with a spoon the soft central part that contains the seeds (it is possible to reserve and consume them separately). Cut into small cubes and add to the sauce along with the curry, turmeric and ginger, taking care that the spices do not burn. Add water up to the level of the vegetables, bring to a boil and then cover and boil over moderate heat for about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and the cloves, then blend with a hand blender until you obtain a lump-free texture. Add the coconut milk, stir until integrated and heat without boiling for a few minutes. Season to taste and serve.

Tips and tricks:

1. The vegetables for the initial broth can be varied according to availability, but the onion and garlic are the basis of a good stir-fry, and the carrot is an ideal complement for the pumpkin cream. In addition, the mentioned variety of vegetables will absolutely boost the flavors of this dish.
2. The spices can also be varied, but the curry and/or turmeric along with a touch of ginger give the recipe a characteristic touch.
3. I always like to add a little chili or cayenne in soups, but in this particular recipe the spicy touch is given by the spices above mentioned.
4. I recommend tasting the soup before salting it. It is possible that some palates prefer to do without salt in favor of giving full prominence to the curry.
5. Although it is a bit laborious, it is possible to manually remove the pumpkin seeds from the pulp. Then I usually rinse them in a colander, let them dry and then lightly toast them in a non-stick pan. And by the way, it is known that ancient civilizations from America highly valued these seeds (which have great nutritional properties) and discarded the rest of the pumpkin.