Pumpkin Soup
Smoky Simple Pumpkin Soup Recipe from Ecuador
Wholesome soups are popular at nearly every meal in a lot of Latin American and these soups are often made with pumpkin and flavored with smoky bacon. You can use double smoked bacon for an additional intensity if you like but regular smoked bacon does nicely for most people.
You might like to serve this simple pumpkin soup recipe in the hollowed out pumpkin shell for a dramatic presentation. This pumpkin soup has an elaborate mixture of flavors although it is very easy to make.
The rum and bacon add a salty sweetness to the simple pumpkin soup recipe and the sage and garlic add a nice, savory taste. This is a gourmet style pumpkin soup recipe with the perfect balance of flavors, saltiness, and sweetness. Your family or guests will imagine that you have spent hours on it, rather than less than one hour.
Simple Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Bacon and Dark Rum
Ingredients -
1 pumpkin, 6 or 7 lbs
1 teaspoon dried ground sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
2 or 3 tablespoons dark rum
3 cups half and half
4 cups chicken broth
6 slices streaky smoked bacon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Preparation:
Cut a deep, wide circle around the pumpkin stem and take off the lid. Scrape out the stringy membranes and seeds.
Scrape out most of the pumpkin flesh and chop it coarsely. You will need about 4 cups of it. Fry the bacon in a big pot and drain it on paper towels. Crumble it.
Add the garlic and onions to the pan and cook them for 3 minutes, stirring, over a moderate heat.
Add the sage, pumpkin and some Tabasco to taste. Add some salt and black pepper. Add the broth, stir the soup, and cover it.
Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
Remove the soup from the heat and allow it to cool.
Transfer it in batches to a food processor or blender and puree it.
Put the soup back in the pot and add the bacon, rum and half and half.
Stir it well and heat it back up. Serve in wide soup plates.
(Serves 8)
