It’s been chilly (by SoCal standards at least), and with everything under the sun turning pumpkin flavored lately, pumpkin soup has been on the brain. I’ve never made anything with pumpkin before, so experimenting with this creamy soup was totally new to me!

The soup is basically a coconut milk and pumpkin puree to which I added roasted carrots, onions, garlic, and parsley blended with chicken stock.

My coworker gave me the basis for the main ingredients, but I chose to make mine a little spicy. Not the super-hot-chili-pepper kind of spicy- but the warm and earthy kind of spicy. I hope I’m not crazy and you get what I mean. I did this by using madras curry powder, cayenne pepper, and paprika- I think it adds nice color and flavor while keeping things interesting.

I also threw together some ricotta crostinis to snack on because my roommate says she feels bad for me when she sees me cook, then shoot, and finally eat hours later. Hahaha

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

• 1 16 oz. can of coconut milk
• 1 13 oz. can of pumpkin puree
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 cups of chopped carrots- about 2-3 roots
• 1 half of a large sweet onion, sliced
• 4 whole cloves garlic
• 1 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp madras curry powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil (to roast veggies)
• yogurt, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap a baking sheet in foil.

Mix the curry powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Toss the carrots, onions, and garlic in olive oil and add spice blend. Once fully coated, transfer to your baking sheet in an even layer.

Roast in the oven  for about 30 minutes, then remove from the oven, toss them around a bit and add the fresh parsley to the mix.

Roast for about 10 more minutes till they look like this:

Transfer the roasted veggies to a blender along with the chicken stock. Blend until everything is smooth.

In a medium sized sauce pan, heat your coconut milk and pumpkin puree on low heat, stirring occasionally so everything mixes together nicely. Add your blended vegetables to the soup and continue stirring until fully incorporated.

To serve, mix about a tablespoon of yogurt with a little water so it gets to a more fluid consistency and drizzle in the center of each bowl. Add the sesame and pumpkin seeds and finish with some fresh cracked pepper.

I just picked up some cranberry baguette slices, so I enjoyed this soup with ricotta crostinis. Find the directions below!

Ricotta Crostinis

These are super simple- Just toast your baguette slices (the bakery guys at Whole Foods even sliced my baguette for me, so all I had to do was top them with something, anything), spread some ricotta cheese on them, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and crack some fresh black pepper over each slice. Heavenly! And stupid easy.

I just got back from a weekend in Napa where I spent way too much time in Olivier sampling oils, tapenades, and jellies, and lusting over their glorious rainbow of Staub cookware. I picked up some goodies including a bottle of their VSOP balsamic vinegar. It’s so deliciously thick it’s practically syrupy. It has the sweetness and tang to cut through the creamy ricotta while black pepper adds a touch of spice to each bite of these crostinis.

Happy munching!