Curried Roasted Pumpkin Soup by Daphne Oz

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and allow to cook for about 4 minutes until translucent, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan at all, add a splash of stock or water to help deglaze the surface.
2. Add the curry powder, cumin and cardamom and allow to toast for another minute. Add the pumpkin and stir to coat in the spices. Add the dates, vegetable stock and season again with salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
3. Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer to the carafe of a blender, adding half of the coconut milk and lime juice. Blend until very smooth, adding more stock as necessary to adjust the thickness, you want smooth and silky, not too thin so avoid using too much extra stock! Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
4. Serve the soup drizzled with the remaining coconut milk to garnish and top with the toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, mint, lime zest and pomegranate seeds. Serve.
5. Serving size: about 1 1/4 cups soup
6. To roast your own pumpkin, you will need 1 pumpkin (about 9 ½ pounds), outside washed and seeds + pith scooped out; 1/4 cup seeds reserved; 1 head garlic, top cut off; 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil; and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
7. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Quarter the pumpkin into four large pieces. Rub the pumpkin pieces with olive oil and place on a roasting rack fitted inside a roasting pan. Roast the pumpkin for 1 hour 40 minutes or 1 hour 50 minutes until very tender when pierced with a paring knife and the outer skin of the pumpkin has turned a deeper orange. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, scrape the flesh from the inside of the pumpkin and place into a bowl, measuring out 4 cups for the soup. Discard the skin and use any remaining pumpkin flesh in another recipe.
8. To toast your own pumpkin seeds, you will need olive oil cooking spray; ½ cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas; pinch ground cayenne pepper; ¼ teaspoon yellow curry powder; and pinch kosher salt.
9. Rinse the pumpkin seeds and pat very dry. Place the seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly grease with cooking spray and toss with cayenne, curry powder and a pinch of salt. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes on the upper rack of the oven from the pumpkin. Stir the seeds every 10 minutes or so as they roast until golden and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.