Pumpkin-Coconut Soup with Cocoa-Wattleseed Crème
Creator: Erin Evenson, NY
Category:
Savory
Servings: 4
Adventure Ingredients: Coriander, Black or pink peppercorns, Chili pepper (whole dried), Coconut milk, Wattleseed, Palm sugar
Ingredients
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed and chopped
1 stalk celery with greens, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 heaping tablespoon palm sugar
3 dried chipotle chilies, stemmed, seeded and reconstituted in boiling water for 15 minutes
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons Scharffen Berger Natural Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon ground wattleseed
2 tablespoons fresh pomegranate seeds
1 oz. Scharffen Berger 82% cacao extra dark chocolate, grated
Preparation
In a large stockpot over medium heat, cook the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain and leave the rendered bacon fat in the stockpot.
Add the chopped yellow onion, carrot, celery with greens and a pinch each of kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to the bacon fat and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic, ground ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, palm sugar and chipotle chilies to the vegetable mixture and sauté for another 3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable broth and coconut milk, stir, and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, in a small mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, sour cream, Scharffen Berger Natural Cocoa Powder and ground wattleseed until well-combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate to let the flavors blend until ready to serve.
To serve, spoon desired amount of soup into bowls, top with a dollop of cocoa-wattleseed crème and a sprinkling of bacon pieces.