Years ago when Turbacks was the first restaurant that served locally produced foods, I managed to get their signature Curried Pumpkin Mushroom Soup recipe. It’s been a favorite with all of us and friends ask for it when they come to visit from out of town. This fall my share from Full Plate CSA included some beautiful and delicious cooking pumpkins. These pumpkins are just the right size to function as serving bowls for this great soup.
½ lb. sliced mushrooms½ cup chopped onions
2 Tbs. butter or oil 1 Tbs. curry powder or to taste
3 cups vegetarian or chicken broth
1 lb. canned pumpkin (or fresh: cooked and pureed)
½-1 Tbs. honey
1 cup evaporated milk
Dash of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
If you decide to use fresh pumpkin, cut off the top first. Then bake for 30-45 minutes until soft (with seeds still inside). When cool enough peel off skin and discard seeds. If you decide to use the shell as a container, then scrape out the seeds and discard (or roast) and scrape out some of the pulp to use in the soup leaving enough to make a sturdy bowl for the soup.
- Sauté onions until translucent.
- Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until just cooked.
- Add curry powder and cook for 2 more minutes stirring.
- Add broth, bring to bowl and add pumpkin, honey and seasoning.
- Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.
- Add evaporated milk and heat without boiling.
- Adjust for seasoning adding more salt or honey or pepper as you like.
- It’s ready to serve.
Thanks, neighbor!
So, I happened on your post while googling “Full Plate CSA” to tell some folks in Syracuse about it (they are trying to start a multi-farm CSA)… and, wouldn’t you know, I actually have squash soup on the menu for tonight– what luck! We belong to Early Morning Farm CSA, but also have a good bit of squash and pumpkin in stock at the moment… I’ve made curried pumpkin soup from a recipe I got from Stick and Stone Farm at one of the pumpkin festivals they had a while back… it’s good, but I like the sounds of this one, because it has evaporated milk in it, which was the secret ingredient that always made my Mom’s pumpkin pie so delicious… And, of course, anything I ever ate at Turbacks was wonderful.
Very nice blog, on one of my favorite subjects. Thanks for doing it!
Hey Kris,
How great that my very own neighbor found my blog. I just started it and plan to post some of the great local restaurant recipes if the chefs will part with them. Cooking and eating has always been my passion so now I get to write about it and blog with other people who love food. Let me know if you like the soup. Celia
I heard you on Michael Warren Thomas’s Food show this morning. I am a big fan of Ithaca. The scenery, the shopping, the restaurants, the farmer’s market, the lake, the birds, Stewart Park, Sapsucker Woods, the wineries, Cornell and the gardens, the nearby State Parks and the waterfalls, etc. Always fun to visit. I will try the pumpkin soup. I lived in Australia for a few years and their pumpkins are meatier than ours and they use them like squash and put them in pot roast. Bon appetit!
This recipe was featured in Bon Appitite magazine YEARS ago and my family has enjoyed it over the years. I was very happy to see it listed in your recipes!
Lynn