If you can’t find baking pumpkins, you can use 2 cans of plain (unsweetened) pumpkin puree in this recipe, but you’ll end up with a soup with a thinner consistency.
Serves 8–10
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 dried chipotle chili or 1⁄2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 cups peeled, cubed pumpkin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
• 11⁄2 cups vegetable stock or broth
• 3 cups cold milk
1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pumpkin, and caraway seeds, and sauté, stirring occasionally, 8–10 minutes, until pumpkin becomes tender and begins to brown (some may stick to pan).
2. Add stock (or broth) and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups milk.
3. Purée in batches in a blender until smooth, adjusting consistency with remaining milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the chipotle chili or Spanish paprika on top.
4. Adding Smoke to Vegetarian Dishes
5. For a smoky flavor, nonvegetarian recipes often call for smoked pork bones or bacon. Vegetarians can achieve a similar result by adding smoked chilis like chipotles (smoked jalapenos) to those dishes.
