Spiced Pumpkin Soup
The name “Silk Road Pumpkin Soup,” conjurs up images of ancient trading and movement of not only silk but other goods such as spices across the vast landmass of Eurasia and via circuitous sea routes.
Our spices have made a similar extensive journey to reach their final destination, our kitchens. Cinnamon is grown in Sri Lanka and Southern India and allspice favors the more tropical climates of the Caribbean and Central America. They both have the aroma of something exotic and warm, which makes this soup full of different flavors.
The underlying aromatics in Iranian recipes like this include dried herbs such as cinnamon and allspice, and a little fresh ginger. Thick and rich from the blended, slow cooked pumpkin and sweetened with parsnip, we deviated from the original recipe and added sour cream to bind it into a creamy finish. For more interesting texture we drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ cups / 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tsp / 2 cloves garlic
- 2.5 lb kabocha squash, peeled, deseeded, large chunks, (butternut squash if in a pinch)
- 2 parsnips, diced
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 tsp cardamon, ground
- 1/4 tsp allspice, ground
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 cups broth
- 6 cups Magic Mineral Broth* OR vegetable / chicken broth
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup sour cream
- pumpkin seeds garnish
- heat the olive oil in a small skillet, add the onion and garlic and soften for 3 minutes *
- transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker
- add the kabocha squash and parsnips to the slow cooker
- sprinkle the cinnamon, cardamon, allspice, sugar and salt into the slow cooker
- stir in the broth and lemon juice
- cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours
- uncover and blend to a thick puree, stir in the the sour cream and serve
- - instead of softening in a skillet on the stove, place the oil, onion and garlic into a microwaveable bowl and heat on high for 1 minute to soften
- - kabocha squash is more sweet than regular pumpkin, and less so than butternut. Something to consider if you choose either of those
- - recipe for Magic Mineral Broth https://www.blog.thezenofslowcooking.com/magic-mineral-broth/
“Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin.”
Simone Schwarz-Bart
