What is autumn without pumpkins, and what healthier way to greet the cooling weather than with a steaming bowl of curried pumpkin soup. You can also use butternut squash in place of the pumpkin for a more subtle treat.

One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Braun hand blender (immersion blender). It is just perfect for tasks like this curried pumpkin soup. Unfortunately, Braun doesn’t sell a hand blender for use in the USA anymore. If you are looking for something similar, get one that offers at least 400 watts of power (like the 550 watt Juiceman to the right). The cheap 200 watt units just won’t do the job as a serious kitchen appliance.

Ingredients: (serves 12-15)

A 3-4 pound pumpkin. Choose one marked as an eating/cooking/pie pumpkin. The kind sold to be jack-o-lanterns are stringier and less tasty.

2 quarts chicken broth (or water or vegetable broth if you eat vegan)

2 tablespoons curry powder.

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional additions:

Greek yogurt or sour cream – a dab when serving

Fresh Parsley as garnish

Directions:

Cut the pumpkin in half, and scrape out all the seeds.

Cook the pumpkin halves face down on a baking pan in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or on a plate in the microwave on high for 15 minutes.

Scrape the pumpkin flesh into a large pot, add the chicken broth, curry powder, salt and pepper.

Use a hand blender to puree the pumpkin. You can make it very smooth, or leave some chunks for interest. If you don’t have a hand blender, a hand mixer can work if you don’t mind having the soup a little chunky. Otherwise, puree a couple of cups of the soup at a time in a blender.

Bring the soup almost to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Serve, and garnish with a dab of Greek yogurt or sour cream and fresh parsley if you like.