Pumkin Season in Session

My soup binge of late led me to the canned vegetable aisle, where I stumbled upon something that made me very happy: pumpkin. Fall is my favorite culinary season because it means pumpkin, butternut squash, cranberry, and gingerbread. Although I wasn't mentally prepared to make pumpkin pie, I decided to get crazy and make pumpkin soup.

I didn't have red Thai curry paste on hand to follow this recipe from 101 Cookbooks to a tee and I also used canned rather than normal pumpkin, so the result was a very smooth, very mild (but warm) dinner + 2 lunches. Although the soup was tasty--and even better the second day--it was a little too mild for my liking. I think the red Thai curry paste would be the perfect addition, so I'd love to hear how it is if someone else tries it.


THAI PUMPKIN SOUP

THE GOODS

1 can of pumpkin ($1.99)
1 can of coconut milk ($0.99)
Some red pepper flakes and a red pepper (but I would sub this for red curry paste next time) 
Salt and pepper
Basil (from my plant)

Notes: I also added a couple tablespoons of chicken bouillon, but I don't think you'd necessarily have to do that if you have the kick from the curry. Also, the recipe I worked from recommended topping with pumpkin seeds, which I think would be delicious....

The Grand Total:  $2.98, or about $0.99 per serving (cheapest recipe yet?)

THE WAY

(What I did, but I recommend you use curry paste instead: slice hot pepper and sautee in olive oil over medium heat in a large pot for 2-3 minutes.) Plop the pumpkin into a large pot over medium high heat. Add the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer. Bring up to a simmer again and add the salt and basil (and more curry paste if you like, the recipe recommends 6 teaspoons).

Serve with a garlic crostini (or a piece of toasty bread).