(Hangs head in shame.) This is actually from last October, folks! But I was looking through my food-photo folder for something with pasta (to enter into Pasta Presto Nights #96, this time hosted by Ivy at Kopiaste) and something good for cold weather, and I thought this fit the bill.
It all started innocently enough as pumpkin curry soup (I cut the recipe out of a magazine years ago and didn't keep the publishing info - sorry!), but sadly, it was too spicy for us weaklings.
So I just embellished the leftovers into a thick cold-weather stew, adding some stewed tomatoes, chopped fresh carrots, kidney beans, plain natural yogurt, and fusilli pasta. And for serving, I added an extra dollop of plain yogurt on top and some toasted pumpkin seeds I'd made earlier (leftover from the whole kabocha pumpkin I'd bought back in the fall and my toddler had tried to kabocha-nap). Presto chango! Hearty enough for a main meal and calm enough for even the wimpiest taste buds (but definitely not lacking in flavor).
The magazine's original pumpkin curry soup was so simple.You'll need:
4 c. chicken broth
15-oz. can pumpkin
2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. onion powder
sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
Do this:
Just bring it all to a boil for a minute, until hot to your liking, and then top with the sour cream or yogurt.
And for the leftovers, I added:
the soup from the day before
chopped carrots
a can of kidney beans, drained
a can of stewed tomatoes with all the juices
a handful of fusilli pasta
plain yogurt
Just bring it all to the boil and simmer till the carrots and pasta are tender, then add the yogurt and beans last (next time I'll add some fresh spinach, too). Top with more yogurt and a few toasted pumpkin seeds (just toast in a pan or in the oven with your oil of choice and whatever spices you like--I couldn't get mine as crunchy as I'd have liked them, so next time will do it in the oven instead of on the stovetop).
And hopefully once you've tasted the stew, it'll curry some favor with the partakers. I have no doubts of this.
The other day I posted something from the summer. I don't think that it really matters. Your pasta/curry stew sounds perfect for these cold days. Thanks for participating at PPN.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ivy, yes, I remember your nectarine cake from last summer--it looks yummers!
ReplyDeleteThis looks so delicious!! I love pumpkin in savory foods. It's perfect weather here to eat this, so cold and snowy.
ReplyDeleteReeni, thanks! We don't get much snow here in our part of Japan, but it's pretty cold and I do like my comfort food anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteFrom October or not, it looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joie de vivre! It was yummy - I'm kinda partial to pumpkin.
ReplyDeleteGreat way to fix a too spicy dish! I really like the addition of the kidney beans.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maggie! It was much more palatable after I tinkered with it a bit! :)
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