Pumpkin Soup Experiment

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We bought a different kind of pumpkin this year, mostly because it was pretty, and when it came time to carve pumpkins before Halloween, we decided to cut into it so we could have more seeds to roast. Once opened, it gave off a sweet smell, almost like cantaloupe and I thought I would look it up. I didn't know what to do, so I googled 'tan pumpkin'.

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It turns out we had bought a Long Island Cheese pumpkin, a variety which is known for being a great cooking pumpkin. So I cooked it, pureed it, and made pumpkin soup! I didn't really follow any recipe in particular, just cobbled together ideas from various recipes I found online, writing down what I did as I went so I could recreate it or tweak as possible if I wanted to change anything.

It was delicious! I ended up with a total of eight cups of pumpkin puree, so I'm sure we'll have it another time this winter.

Pumpkin soup

1 med onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil

4 c chicken broth (I used better than bouillon plus 4 c water)
1/2 tsp thyme
Ground ginger (1/4 tsp?)
Paprika (1/4 tsp? I would have added more, but ran out)
Curry powder (1/2 tsp?)
2 c pumpkin purée
1/3 c half and half
1/2 c instant mashed potatoes (or less)

1. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until semi-soft.
2. Add chicken broth and spices, let simmer until onions are cooked through. Besides the thyme, I just dumped the spices in...I probably should have measured!)
3. Add pumpkin puree and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and add half and half.
4. If desired, blend the soup in the blender to make a smooth soup.
5. Add instant mashed potatoes. I did this because the soup was a little runny and I wanted it to be a bit thicker.

What experiments have you been up to in the kitchen lately?