Stacked Function Pumpkin Soup

An enhanced recipe for pumpkin soup from my book and some others ideas on how to enjoy/preserve the seasonal nutrient dense pumpkin abundance

(This post serves as the 35th post which is part of the (Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary series).

its soup makin time

Last year I used some 1$ organic pumpkins we got from a local farm to make a big batch of pumpkin curry soup with regeneratively farmed wildrice, garden fresh Hopi Red Amaranth (seeds and leaves), Goji berry leaves, Egyptian walking onion bulbs, Stinging Nettle, homegrown turmeric rhizome, Kombu, Dulse, homegrown ginger rhizome and many other veggies, herbs and spices.

ingredients I used to build the broth for the soup

It turned out so beautifully that I am going to include the recipe in my next book and make another big 20 liter stock pot full in the weeks ahead (which will have cost us no more than 10 dollars to make) and it smells heavenly as it simmers.

This nutrient dense soup is rich in both anthocyanin and beta carotene ( offering Ocular-Regenerative/Ocular-Protective, Glyphosate detoxing, Cardio-Protective Potential, Radioprotective, Radiomitigative and Radiomodulatory and Immune system optimizing benefits).

It is something we can enjoy through the winter (and thanks to having taken advantage of seasonal abundances and cultivating many other ingredients at home we will have only paid pennies on the dollar for each nourishing bowl).

This time of year in the temperate regions of Turtle Island many of our communities will be overflowing with cheap pumpkins of all colors, shapes and sizes due to the impending processed sugar intake frenzy at the end of the month.

But why are we in a hurry to carve nutritious food into ornaments and leave it sitting at the door step when we could be feeding ourselves and our family in times when grocery bills are increasing exponentially?

If you still have pumpkins available at your grocery stores or farmer’s markets where you are, don’t let them go to waste!

This recipe below is an enhanced version of a recipe from pages 228 and 229 of my book (Recipes For Reciprocity : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table).

Well I don’t want this recipe to be limited to being enjoyed in our home and those that currently own a copy of my book so I am sharing with all of you now as a gift.

Stacked Function Pumpkin Soup

topped with popped Hopi Red Amaranth seeds and fresh cilantro

Rich in vitamin A, C, potassium and fiber pumpkins might be obsessed about at only one time of year for most people but source them out from a farmer a couple days before or a few days after Halloween and you will pay only a couple bucks a piece. For the years we couldn’t spare enough garden space to grow them ourselves, that opportunity for a cheap, nutritious and delicious seasonal crop is something we just couldn’t pass up, and this recipe was born. For those who like curry, this one goes amazing with red Thai curry, but Indian-style curries work out well too if that’s more your bag.

Add in some Anthocyanin rich additions and immune system optimizing ingredients and you have yourself a soup that is not just food, it is medicine as well.

Ingredients:

Hopi Red Amaranth leaves, nettle leaves, goji berry leaves, and other ingredients

- 1 small pumpkin (a “pie” or “sugar” pumpkin preferably but big ones intended for carving will work too, just adjust the recipe quantities accordingly for volume and add more spices as big pumpkins are more bland). You could also use any bright orange fleshed winter squash you may have on hand instead of pumpkin for this, like butternut etc).

- 2 medium-large onions

- 4 to 6 large carrots

- 1 large red bell pepper

- 6 to 8 cups vegetable broth

- 2-5 red chili peppers

- 1 handful of fresh parsley

- healthy handful of kombu or dulse seaweed

- 1-2 potatoes (diced)

- 2 stalks of celery (sliced)

- a few sprigs of fresh thyme

- one sprig of fresh rosemary

- 2 - 3 fresh sage leaves (or a tsp dried sage)

- 2 teaspoons of crushed coriander seed

- 1/2 cup regeneratively farmed wildrice

- handful each of garden fresh Hopi Red Amaranth (seeds and leaves)

- handful of Goji berry leaves

- Egyptian walking onion bulbs

- Stinging Nettle

- homegrown turmeric rhizome

- homegrown ginger rhizome

- 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground cumin seed (depending on personal preference).

-½ cup of unrefined coconut oil

- black pepper to taste (Optional ingredients)

- 1 tablespoon of Thai red curry (or 2 tablespoons of Moroccan Harissa Spice)

- a cup of sprouted lentils for extra protein and heartiness

- a cup or two of diced kale (Red Russian is my favorite)

- cilantro, watercress or parsley for garnish

optional awesome ingredients:

- some echinacea root to infuse in the broth

- some regeneratively foraged/grown American ginseng root to infuse in the broth

- white pine or eastern hemlock foliage to forest infuse flavor and medicinal properties in broth

Directions:

Set oven to roast at 350. Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out mush and seeds and put in a separate bowl. Place pumpkin halves on a large baking tray, drizzle with a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Cut bell pepper in half, de-seed, place one half in each pumpkin, do the same with the chili peppers if using and place inside the bell peppers. Drizzle peppers in a bit of coconut oil, sprinkle with black pepper and place in the oven to roast for 20-30 (or until pumpkin is cooked through and the flesh separates from the thick skin easily.)

roasted pumpkin

While the pumpkin and peppers are roasting get yourself a large pot and throw a splash of coconut oil in there, dice up the onions, celery, carrots add the cumin, coriander seed, thyme, wild rice, potatoes, seaweed (kombu/dulse) Hopi Red Amaranth seeds, Kombu/Dulse, and rosemary, cook on medium-high heat stirring occasionally) until onions are translucent and beginning to caramelize.

adding freshly diced veggies to begin frying to build broth

adding Hopi Red Amaranth seeds to fry with other ingredients to pop open the shell casing and allow their antioxidants and nutty flavor to infuse into the soup fully

adding chili peppers, turmeric rhizome, ginger rhizome and spices

Add broth (if using lentis add now bring to a boil then turn it to low heat until pumpkin and peppers are cooked).

Once cooked separate the pumpkin flesh from the skin and chop it up into chunks before adding to the pot. (if using Thai curry or Moroccan Harissa Spice add now). Dice up the roasted peppers and add as well.

Taste the broth.

Add diced Hopi Red Amaranth leaves, Goji Leaves, Nettle leaves and extra spices if needed.

Turn to high heat and bring to a boil then turn back to low while you dice the parsley Add diced parsley, stir well. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-20 minutes (or until it’s cool enough to go into a food processor). If you like smooth and creamy soup, put the entire pot through the food processor in batches through the food processor. (adding the emulsified batches of soup to a new pot as you go) If you like little bits or some chunky-ness in your soups then only blend half of the total volume of the soup, mixing the emulsified half and chunky half together in a new pot before serving. If using Thai curry serve with a scoop of coconut milk and garnish with cilantro.

If not using thai curry it goes well with some cream or 2% milk and a chunk of grainy sourdough bread.

It freezes well or you can refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Okay my friends I hope you give that recipe a try and will tell me how it goes!

If you are looking for some other ideas on what to do with all those pumpkins laying around at this time of year, check out the following two posts:

---

The recipe above is an upgraded and enhanced version of a recipe from my book (cover shown in image below).

If you would like to have access to well over a hundred other fun and nutritious recipes like this there is info to where you can purchase either a physical or digital copy of my book below.

For those of you interested in purchasing an Ebook copy of my book that option is now available through this link: https://payhip.com/b/6P5Ab

For those interested in purchasing a physical copy of the book you can do so through this link:

https://recipesforreciprocity.com/shop/softcover/

I also currently have a sale going for my book for the holiday that includes a bonus gift of one of the ingredients for the recipe above being sent out with each physical copy ordered from now till December 24th, for more info check out the post below:

---