Ethiopian-Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

I love pumpkin anything, but am especially partial to soup. This is a fun spicy twist on the traditional pumpkin bisque, but the best part is that it is vegan, low fat, nutritious and delicious. I am reposting this from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com. An excellent resource if you are looking for good vegan recipes.

Ethiopian-Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

This is a very versatile recipe. You can use any type of winter squash instead of pumpkin and any type of seasoning instead of berbere, so this could be Curry-Spiced Butternut Soup or Baharat-Spiced Cushaw Soup. Just be sure you use around 3 cups of cooked squash and add seasonings carefully because they vary in potency.

INGREDIENTS:
1 small pumpkin or winter squash (about three pounds or three cups cooked pumpkin
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-4 tsp berbere spice mix*
1/2 - 1 cup non dairy milk
Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut open pumpkin or squash and remove seeds and strings.. Place it cut-side up on a baking sheet and cover with foil (or place in a large, covered baking dish). Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until flesh is very tender when pricked with a fork. Remove and allow to cool until it can be handled comfortably.
2. Cook the onion in a large, non-stick pot over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. (If it starts to stick, add a tablespoon of water and stir well.) Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add a splash of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, and then pour the onions into the blender. Scrape the pumpkin out of its shell and add the flesh to the blender, along with the remaining broth, tomato paste, and berbere spice mix. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the contents of the blender back into the pan, cover, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the non-dairy milk, using as much as needed to reach the right consistency. Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper, and simmer for about 5 more minutes before serving. Serve in shallow bowls, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Notes

*To make the berberé spice mixture, combine:

1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground fenugreek
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (use less to decrease spiciness or substitute paprika)
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground sea salt (optional)

This makes 4 tablespoons of seasoning, but the bisque only calls for 2-4 teaspoons. Store the leftover seasoning in a spice jar in a cool, dark place.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 50 minute(s