Melba’s Pumpkin Soup Editorial Comments. I can’t really claim credit for this recipe. It is a Julie Childs recipe that I read in some magazine in a doctor’s office over 30 years ago. My old fashioned conscious does not let me steal magazines or even tear out pages, so I tried to remember the recipe so I could simulate it when I got home. However, the original recipe had “real” cream; a practice when I felt was extravagant. I use canned evaporated milk. The addition of the crunchy peanut butter is also mine, after attending an auction dinner from Planned Parenthood prepared by a woman from Indonesia about 20 years ago. She made a spicy peanut sauce which was served warm for dipping raw vegetables. Nowadays, I start off all my vegetable soups with chicken bullion cube and onions. Did I learn this from Julia Childs? I don’t remember, but I know it works well for various soups, i.e. carrots, rutabaga, turnip or celery soup.
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups chunked pumpkin or any kind of winter squash.
2. Add squash to 3 cups of water, one large onion and one or two chicken bullion cubes and a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, if available. And m
3. Cook until tender, cool and blend in food processor.
4. Return to pot. Sprinkle in a pinch of curry, salt, maybe a dash of cayenne pepper if you like a little zing.
5. Gradually stir in a can of evaporated milk.
6. Simmer on low heat, until hot enough for serving. If it is too thick, add a little 2% milk or water. If it seems too thin, simmer longer.
7. A few minutes before serving, stir in a level tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter, stirring constantly from the bottom until it is thoroughly mixed. We use organic peanut butter because it now available in most stores. If you choose not to add peanut butter, sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds, a dash of sour cream or garnish with parsley or pea shoots.