Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo

This recipe is based on a sweet potato/chorizo soup recipe from chef Jamie Oliver, which I modified to feature pumpkin. And boy, did it ever work! Read the entire article on the Burn! Blog here.



Ingredients


2 quarts chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large carrots, roasted and diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3-4 cups of roasted pumpkin flesh (whatever you end up with after roasting and peeling your 4-pound pie pumpkin)
1/2 pound freshly ground chorizo sausage* cut into chunks
1 small bunch parsley, finely chipped (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



Instructions


In a saucepan, heat the chicken stock to near boiling and let simmer.

In a large, thick-bottomed soup pot, heat the olive oil, then add all the chopped & slicedĀ  ingredients (including the chorizo). Add the curry powder and stir while the ingredients cook. Keep stirring the mixture occasionally and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onions turn golden.

Pour in the hot chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

If you have an immersion blender (and I recommend them highly), use it to blend the soup right in the kettle. If you don't have one (Christmas is coming, so put Santa on it), pour the soup into a large blender or food processor. Mix it up until it's smooth, but this isn't a bisque, so don't expect it to be completely creamy.

Garnish with a little diced parsley and serve hot with some good crusty bread, butter, and a small salad. I made a salad with spinach leaves, sliced pear, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, and candied almond slices topped with balsamic vinaigrette. The sweetness of the pear was fantastic with the savory, spicy soup.

*Many grocery stores make this in their butcher department. If you can't find it freshly made, buy the pre-made kind...the spiciness of the chorizo will affect the heat level of the finished soup, so adjust the amount accordingly if you're using some really hot sausage and don't want too much heat in your soup.

Servings
4-6
Servings
4-6