This soup is a bit different than my usual approach to pumpkin soup. Quite often my soups will involve generous quantities of curry powder and coconut milk and quite often a bit of tomato as well. This one leans into maple syrup with a little bit of cayenne as the main seasoning. (Although I used Kashmiri chilies in my rendition of it.) I think I still prefer my usual curried version overall, but this was an interesting twist on the pumpkin soup theme. Especially with the sour cream and seasoned pumpkin seeds.

Maple Pumpkin Soup

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne (or Kashmiri chilies), divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 7 Tbsp. maple syrup, divided
• 1 tsp. water
• 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 4-5 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1250g pumpkin purée²
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. sour cream

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, paprika, 1/4 tsp. of the cayenne, and ground sea salt and set aside.
2. Combine 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter, 1 Tbsp. of the maple syrup, and the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook until liquid has evaporated and seeds are well-coated.
4. Transfer to bowl with the paprika mixture and toss to coat.
5. Spread out on a sheet of parchment paper to cool.
6. Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat.
7. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened (~10 minutes).
8. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
9. Add the wine, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until reduced by half.
10. Add the stock and the pumpkin, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for ~10 minutes.
11. If soup is chunkier than you'd like, use an immersion blender to smooth it out.
12. Stir in the remaining 6 Tbsp. of maple syrup, sea salt, remaining 1/4 tsp. of cayenne, and pepper and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
13. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
14. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of the seasoned pumpkin seeds.

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¹ I just used plain sweet paprika this time, but I think that smoked sweet paprika would actually be really nice in this. ^Back
2 I used a mix of fresh and canned pumpkin for this. One 796mL can + 1 pie pumpkin yieled about the right amount. I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out the seeds, rubbed it with a little olive oil, and baked it at 180°C (350°F) for 50 minutes, then scooped the flesh out of the skin. ^Back