Curried Pumpkin & Green Tomato Soup

You know the old saying: What grows together goes together? It’s usually true.

Take this fall for instance.

I was perusing the rows of produce at Portland Farmers Market one decidedly cool Saturday morning and spotted a large basket loaded with small pumpkins. Nestled next to the basket was a heap of green tomatoes. Voila!

As it turns out, pumpkin and tomato are a flavor pairing made in heaven. Pumpkin is mild and sweet, while tomato is intense and tart. They each have what the other needs.

And green tomatoes have even more acidity than ripe tomatoes, plus a lovely flavor all their own. I was hooked on the idea, even though I had never used green tomatoes in a soup before.

This resulting soup is divine, either hot or cold. As with most soups, it’s even better a day or two after it’s made.

Want to know more about winter squash? Check out our Winter Squash Primer.

Curried Pumpkin & Green Tomato Soup

As with most soups where winter squash has the starring role, pumpkin soups tend to be too sweet, too bland, or both. What is usually needed is a judicious jolt of something acidic, such as lemon, lime, vinegar, apple, tomato, or in this case, green tomato. The acid helps to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin and creates interest for the palate.

Ingredient Note Other winter squash, such as Red Kuri or Kabocha, or even sweetpotato, can be used here instead of pumpkin. If you do decide to use pumpkin, select a smaller, less fibrous variety, such as sugar pie pumpkin.

Storage Note   If you plan to freeze this soup (great to have on hand), don’t add the cream until you defrost and heat.

cooking oil

1 pound pumpkin, stemmed, cut into wedges lengthwise, and seeded

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon LunaCafe Ras el Hanout spice blend or Madras brand curry powder
3 cups, peeled, finely chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
3 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
6 large cloves garlic, peeled, and minced
1-2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, ribbed, and minced (use gloves)
1 pound peeled, stemmed, chopped, ripe tomatoes
1 pound peeled, stemmed chopped, green tomatoes

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Finishing
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional

Garnish

Goat Cheese Crema
Green Tomato Pico de Gallo (coming soon)

1. To prepare baking sheet, lightly coat an edged baking sheet with cooking oil.
2. To roast pumpkin, arrange cut-side-up in a single layer on the baking sheet, and roast at 375°F for 35-45 minutes, until fully tender.
3. To prepare soup base, in an 8-quart soup pot, melt butter, and slowly cook onion until softened, but not browned, about 15 minutes.
4. During the last 5 minutes, add Ras el Hanout, garlic, ginger, and chiles. Remove from the heat, and hold until pumpkin is fully tender.
5. To peel pumpkin, when pumpkin is tender and cool enough to handle, scrape it away from its skin into the soup pot. Don’t worry if it’s in big chunks. The chunks will dissolve.
6. Add tomatoes and stock.
7. To finish the soup, gently simmer until flavors are melded, pumpkin is falling apart, and liquid has reduced slightly, about 20 minutes.
8. Puree the soup with a hand-held immersion blender. (For an even smoother texture, let soup cool somewhat, and puree in batches in a blender.)
9. Finally, add the cream, and then adjust the flavor by adding salt and pepper, and if necessary, a few drops of lemon juice
10. To serve, ladle 1½ cups of soup into each bowl, and garnish with a dollop of Goat Cheese Crema topped with a spoonful of Green Tomato Pico de Gallo.

Makes 10-12 cups; serves 6-8.

More LunaCafe Winter Squash, Sweetpotato & Carrot Soups

• Curried Sweetpotato, Ginger, & Coconut Bisque
• Heirloom Carrot Soup with Lemon Verbena, Spearmint & Garlic Gremolata
• Sweet Carrot Bisque with Umami Pesto
• Warm Spiced Red Kuri Squash & Orange Soup with Cinnamon Harissa

Cookin’ with Gas (inspiration from around the web)

• Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Cider | Bite Sized
• Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup | Erin’s food Files
• Creamy Southwestern Pumpkin Soup | My Favorite Flavors
• Squash Soup | TasteSpotting
• Brazilian Butternut Squash Soup | The MacroChef

 

Copyright 2014-2017 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.