Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tb Earth Balance
1 bay leaf
1 t fresh ground ginger
1 t your favorite curry powder
½ t garam marsala
1 dash cayenne (only if your curry powder does not contain cayenne)
1 ½ tb agave nectar
1 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned)
3 cups vegetable stock
4 tb vegan sour cream
salt to taste
fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish
toasted pumpkin seed for garnish

Put chopped onion, bay leaf and carrots in a medium size sauce pan on medium-low heat and sweat with the earth balance till tender. You don't want to add color to the vegetable here, just soften.  This could take about 6 mins.  Add the garlic and ginger, then cook for 2 more minutes. Then add the pumpkin, spices (except salt) and agave. Stir and let the pumpkin warm through and start to pick up the flavors of the other vegetable and spices. Once the pumpkin is hot, remove the bay leaf. Then move the entire mixture to a blender.  Scrape the sides well to get all of your veg incorporated. Put one cup of the stock in the blender with the pumpkin mixture. Cover the blender and hold the lid on with a towel. Blend until you have a think puree. Now add one more cup of stock. Blend again. Make sure there are no chunks. Move the mixture back to the sauce pan and add the remaining cup of stock. Stir well and bring back to a low simmer. Once a simmer has been achieved, fold in the sour cream and turn off the heat.  Season to taste with salt. Serve warm with cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds as a garnish. You could even add a little swirl of sour cream if you wish. Enjoy!

Yeild: around 4, 8oz servings

Recipe by: Chef Caroline Morrison

Fiction Kitchen