Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Soup

Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Soup

This recipe takes longer to cook on the front end than the back end. Allow about an hour and a half for the pumpkin to roast and more time for it to cool enough to handle. I roasted the pumpkin and garlic in the morning and made the soup later in the day, but you could do the roasting one day and the soup making the next.

1 3-4 pound pumpkin
1 head garlic, top 1/2-inch trimmed
canola oil spray
3-4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups coconut water (or water plus a little sugar)
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons good, mild curry powder (I used Maharajah)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 - 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (optional, but makes this a main dish soup rather than a starter)
1/2 cup orange juice
toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. (Set them aside if you plan to make toasted pumpkin seeds.) Cut each half in half and place skin-side up in an oiled roasting pan. Place the head of garlic in the pan and spray the pumpkin and garlic lightly with canola oil. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and put in oven.

After an hour, remove the garlic and check the pumpkin. It should be approaching tender but will probably need more time. Check again after 15 minutes. When the pumpkin is completely soft and the flesh is beginning to come away from the skin, remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scrape it from the skin into a food processor (discard any bits that look charred). Squeeze the roasted garlic from its paper and add to the processor. Add about 1 cup of vegetable broth and puree until completely smooth.

Pour the pureed pumpkin into a large pot and add 2 cups of vegetable broth and all remaining ingredients, except the orange juice and pumpkin seeds. Cook over low heat for at least 1/2 hour, in order to give flavors time to develop. If the soup looks too thick, add more vegetable broth. Just before serving, add the orange juice and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Serve in bowls garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds.