Tunisian Pumpkin Soup

I know that I posted a recipe last week, and I don't typically like to post two recipes in a row, but this soup is utterly fantastic!! A couple weekends ago my parents were out of town, so I was cooking dinner for myself, and one of the nights I decided to just open up a boxed soup because I wasn't in a big cooking mood. The soup was really just very sad: it was supposed to be butternut squash soup, and yet it tasted like chicken broth with a ever-so-slight squash flavor. Oh no. In my book, any sort of squash or pumpkin soup should be thick, creamy, and above all else, bursting with the signature flavors of fall. So I decided the next weekend to make the soup myself... you know what they say: if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.

This is a recipe from Moosewood Kitchen, and it is a tradition (and favorite) at my family's yearly Christmas party (at which time we make 5 times this recipe!). The soup is, as the name would suggest, made with pumpkin, but the spices are a little different that usual, combining cinnamon with cumin and paprika to give it a real kick. The other part of the soup which is wonderful is the spice-swirl: mixing garlic, olive oil, cilantro, and few other bits and bobs is never a bad idea. If you want to get extra fancy you can also add a little dollop of sour cream, and make a focaccia with lots of olive oil, salt, and fresh rosemary to go with it!





Tunisian Pumpkin Soup:
Recipe from Moosewood's Daily Specials

Ingredients:
Soup
2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup peeled and sliced carrots
1/2 cup peeled and sliced parsnips
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin (15 ounce can)

Spice Swirl
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced/pressed garlic
4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt

 Directions

1. In a soup pot, saute the onions in oil until they are translucent; about 10 minutes
2. Stir in carrots, parsnips, and salt and continue to saute for about 5 minutes
3. Add water or stock, apple juice, tomato juice, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and paprika. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender
4. Stir in pumpkin
5. In a blender, puree the soup until smooth
6. Gently reheat before serving if necessary
7. To make spice swirl, heat oil in a small skillet and saute the garlic on medium heat for 1 minute
8. Add the corriander, caraway, and cayenne and continue to cook, stirring contantly
9. When mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes, remove from heat, and transfer to small bowl
10. Stir in lemon juice, cilantro, and salt
11. Enjoy!

 So I realize that the spice swirl looks a little weird, but it's delish... I promise!

This soup is wonderful for fall as well as winter; when it's cold outside, having soup and salad is one of my favorite dinners, and this one is completely delicious and warming. I would definitely recommend doubling the recipe and freezing half for another day; to reheat, just pull the container out of the freezer in the morning to let it thaw, and then slowly reheat before eating.

xx

Erin