BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS PUMPKIN SOUP

The February 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens profiled Juliana Hale of the BHG Test Kitchen and her soups, of which this was one.  Juliana grew up in a family of 12 and is a real soup advocate.  Her recipe for pumpkin soup is fairly direct and not overly complicated, but she also included instructions for making spiced croutons for a garnish.  I opted out of the croutons, but if the idea turns you on, just toss some bread cubes with pumpkin pie spice and saute them in hot butter till they’re toasted.

I liked this soup a lot and will be making it again.  It’s easy, satisfying, just sweet enough and has excellent complex flavors.  Though I like some pumpkin soups that have a spicy hot edge, I also like this one that’s just a simple pumpkin soup.  And I’m happy to eat it sans garnishes.  The original recipe yields 8 side-dish servings – too much for me as the only fan of pumpkin soup in my home.  I cut the recipe to 1/4 to yield two servings.  One for now, one for tomorrow.
 

Better Homes and Gardens Pumpkin Soup Adapted 1/4 batch without croutons Rating:  10 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: 2 tsp. Smart Balance buttery spread, butter or oil (Juliana uses butter.) 1/2 medium carrot, grated 1 small shallot, chopped (Juliana uses onion.) 1/4 stalk celery, chopped 1/2 clove garlic, grated or chopped 1 cup pumpkin puree (I used a pie pumpkin that I roasted and pureed.) 1 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth (Juliana uses less broth plus half and half) 2 Tbsp. water 2 tsp. pure maple syrup 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice Sea salt and pepper to taste 2 Tbsp. heavy cream or half and half  (Juliana does not drizzle cream over top.) In a 2-quart heavy pot, cook the carrot in hot Smart Balance over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add shallot, celery and garlic.  Cook 8-10 minutes, or till veggies are tender.  Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, maple syrup and spice.  Cook another 5 minutes, or till heated through.  Puree in pot with immersion blender, or transfer soup to a blender to puree.  Return to pot over medium heat.  (If soup is too thick, add water to thin to desired consistency.)  Taste to adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper as desired.  Serve drizzled with heavy cream or half and half.  Yield:  2 servings

PRIZE TESTED RECIPES CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP, ADAPTED

In my book, you can never have too much butternut squash (pumpkin) soup. No matter how many recipes I try, there's always room for one more.

This recipe is a little bit different. First off, there's a good amount of cilantro in it; and there's coconut milk. It was different enough for me to give it a try. The recipe called for 4 cups of squash. I decided to quarter the recipe and use 1 cup of squash. I wound up with 2 moderate servings.

I tasted the soup when it was done, and was disappointed in the bland taste. I increased the salt slightly, added more red curry paste and ginger and threw in some mild Indian curry as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the soup with my additions, but the cilantro and seasonings pretty much covered up the taste of the squash. There was some nice heat from the ginger and curries which lingered after eating the soup.

You're going to have to like cilantro and curry if you make this soup. I like both and liked the heat, but if you don't like spicy hot foods, then find another recipe or cut back on the curries. Or you could try one of my two faves, Pumpkin Soup, a James Beard recipe using curry, very simple, very easy; or Fantastic Fennel Pumpkin Soup, delicious without any cream or milk added. Both are rated 10 out of 10, and both are excellent recipes.

Prize Tested Recipes Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted 1/4 Recipe

Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 2 tsp. Smart Balance buttery spread or olive oil

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. Thai red curry paste

1/2 tsp. mild Indian curry powder

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup water

1 cup butternut squash puree (or 1 cup peeled, seeded cubes)

1/2 cup lite coconut milk

2 Tbsp. fat-free half and half

1-1/2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro + additional for garnish

In 2-quart heavy pot, heat the SB over medium heat and saute the onion till transparent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the curries, ginger and salt. Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil. Add the squash puree, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes to blend flavors. (If you use cubes, you'll have to simmer the broth longer, until the squash is very tender, at least 25 minutes.)

If you have an immersion blender, now is the time to take it out and puree the soup. If you don't have one, be sure to put it on your Christmas list, because they are the best thing since sliced bread. In any event, puree the soup the easiest way you can.

Stir the coconut milk, half and half and cilantro into the pureed soup and heat, but do not boil. Serve with additional cilantro as garnish. Yield: 2 servings

CURRY PUMPKIN SOUP

The October 2008 issue of Better Homes & Gardens had this interesting pumpkin soup recipe. It's not the curry that's interesting. It's the unusual orange-cranberry topper. I wasn't sure it would work, but it was worth a try. The soup itself is just ok -- that is, until you add the topper. Then it comes alive. The cranberries, orange zest and parsley somehow are the perfect complement to this soup. It's not my favorite pumpkin soup recipe, but I would make it again. It was thoroughly enjoyable. (I actually have two favorites to date: Fantastic Fennel Pumpkin Soup and James Beard's Pumpkin Soup.) Let me make it clear: I would willingly and happily eat this soup again any time, even if it's not one of my top faves.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

Orange-Cranberry Topper: 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp. orange zest

2 Tbsp. snipped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

In small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Soup: 2 Tbsp. butter or Smart Balance buttery spread

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup carrot, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

(2) 15-oz. cans pumpkin

(2) 14-oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup water

1 cup half and half or light cream

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

In 4-qt. Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrot and celery. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add curry powder and pumpkin pie spice. Cook and stir one minute. Add pumpkin, broth and water. Increase heat to medium high; bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to puree soup in pot; or process in blender or food processor and return to pot. Stir half and half, salt and pepper into pumpkin mixture; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with Orange-Cranberry Topper. Serves 8.

Notes:

Fat-free half and half may be used. Land o'Lakes is recommended.

Freshly cooked or roasted (or frozen) butternut squash may be used instead of pumpkin.

Soup may be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat and sprinkle with topping before serving.

PUMPKIN SOUP

I found this recipe in an old cookbook that came with my first Cuisinart, back in the 70's. It's a James Beard recipe, and it's great. I added garlic, subbed fat-free half and half for part of the cream, and subbed Smart Balance for the butter. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Actually, there wasn't too much to follow, because this is a pretty simple recipe. In this case, less is more, because this is a restaurant-quality soup.

Pumpkin Soup
Rating: 10 out of 10
3 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread (or butter)
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 cups roasted butternut squash (canned pumpkin may be substituted)
1 tsp. sea salt
2-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup fat-free half and half (Land o'Lakes recommended)
For Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

In a large heavy skillet or stock pot, heat the onion in the SB over medium heat till wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cover; reduce heat to low and cook about 15 minutes, till onions are soft. Sprinkle with curry powder; cook an additional minute, then add squash and salt and stir together. Puree in a blender; pour into a saucepan with the broth cook over medium heat till ready to boil. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed. Add cream and half and half; reduce heat and just heat through. Garnish each serving with chopped fresh parsley, if desired. Yield: 4-6 servings

THE BEST PUMPKIN SOUP EVER!

I will continue to experiment with
pumpkin soup recipes simply because
it's what I do. But I doubt that I will ever find a recipe that tops this one. This is total pumpkin nirvana. And there's no need for cream in the soup. It can stand on its own. It's thick and creamy, and the mushrooms and Parmesan cheese are perfect complements. For dinner, we also had a rotisserie chicken (our own, not store bought) and grilled asparagus; but, honestly, all I wanted was this soup. And it's a breeze to make. Since I've still got about 5 packages of frozen butternut squash from last year, I didn't use fresh. You can use fresh or frozen cooked squash, or canned pumpkin. Really, try this soon.

Fantastic Fennel Pumpkin Soup
(by Margee Berry, Trout Lake, Washington)
Rating: 10 out of 10
3 tsp. olive oil, divided (I used more)
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used more)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
1 (16-oz.) can pumpkin, or 2 cups
fresh or frozen butternut squash
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt to taste
2 cups chopped fresh shitake mushroom caps (I used cremini mushrooms and sliced them thin before frying)
2 oz. Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 2 tsp. (or more) olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add fennel and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 15 minutes. (I cooked the fennel & onion about 2 minutes, then covered and turned the heat to low. I cooked them on low for 15 minutes, but remember to check them still and possibly stir them.) Add garlic and cook 15-30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Combine fennel mixture, 1 cup chicken broth and pumpkin in a blender. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides occasionally with a spatula.

3. Return fennel mixture to pan and add remaining 2 cups broth and thyme. Cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt.

4. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon (or more) of oil and tilt skillet to coat bottom. Add mushroom caps and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. To serve, spoon soup into individual bowls and sprinkle with mushrooms. Using a vegetable peeler, shave cheese over each serving. Serves 6.

ROASTED SQUASH SOUP

Better Homes and Gardens printed this recipe in its November 2007 issue. I know it's July and it's hot, and this soup is really for the fall. But I have about 10 home-frozen packs of squash in my freezer, and I was in the mood for hot soup. This makes up very quickly if you have the squash frozen as I did. (I buy butternut squash when it's plentiful and cheap; I roast it in the oven, scoop out the roasted flesh and package it in 1 cup containers for the freezer.) The soup is on the thick side; it's smooth and creamy and delicious! Instead of using heavy cream as the recipe called for, I subbed Land o'Lakes fat-free half and half. For the topping I used creme fraiche which IMHO worked with the soup flavor better than the heavy cream would have.

One last note: Buy whole nutmegs and grate them yourself. You won't believe the taste difference. Here's the recipe:

Roasted Squash Soup
2-1/2 lb. butternut or acorn squash or sugar pumpkin (I used butternut squash)
2 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread or extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped; discard stems
1 small bay leaf
3-1/2 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. honey (optional) (I omitted the honey)
1/3 cup Land o'Lakes fat-free half and half
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup creme fraiche for topping

If you are working from fresh, unroasted, squash, split them in half lengthwise. Preheat oven to 350F. With spoon, scrape out seeds and fibers from cavity. Season cut sides of squash with 1 tsp. salt; place flesh side down in lightly buttered baking dish or 15x10x1-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Add 1/2 cup water to baking pan. Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until skin is browned and flesh is tender when pierced with knife. Remove from oven; let rest until cool enough to handle. Scoop out flesh; discard skin.

In large saucepan or dutch oven, heat Smart Balance over medium heat. Add onions, salt, bay leaf and thyme. Saute till onions are tender and translucent (do not allow them to color), about 10 minutes, reducing heat if necessary. Add squash. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth; bring to simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note: I covered the pot as the soup was thick enough and I didn't want it to reduce further.) Adjust seasonings. Remove bay leaf. Stir in honey, if using. Puree soup right in the pot with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor. Reheat soup in pot, stirring in half and half and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg; heat through but do not boil. Adjust seasonings; add salt, pepper and honey as needed. Top each serving with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of nutmeg. Yield: 6 (1-cup) servings