Chilled Curried Pumpkin Soup

Submitted by Starscr292

1/4 c. butter (the real deal)
large white onion, sliced

3/4 c. green onions (white part only), sliced

1 large can pumpkin (not the pureed stuff for pie; solid pack pumpkin)

4 cups chicken broth

bay leaf

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1-1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 Tbl.. chopped parsley

2 c. half & half or whipping cream

salt & freshly ground pepper
cinnamon and ground cloves to taste
molasses and/or brown sugar to taste if you prefer a sweeter soup

Melt butter in 6 qt. saucepan over medium high heat.  Add onions and saute until soft and transparent.  Stir in pumpkin, stock, bay leaf, sugar, curry powder, nutmeg and parsley.  Bring to simmer, continue simmering uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove bay leaf.  Transfer soup in batches to blender or food processor and puree.  Return to saucepan and add cream or half and half, salt and pepper, cinnamon and cloves, also brown sugar and molasses if you want to use them (see next paragraph).  Simmer 5 to 10 minutes but do not allow to boil.

Much of this recipe is a by-guess,by-golly thing.  I like a sweeter soup, so I stir in a bit of molasses and brown sugar then taste.  Repeating these steps until I get the flavor I like.  Also, I like the clove, cinnamon and nutmeg taste stronger than the recipe calls for, so again, experiment until you get it where you want it.

Can be served hot or chill thoroughly for cold soup.