Years ago, when we were very poor, I had to adapt our meals to what we had in the refrigerator, which quite often was a disparate set of ingredients that didn’t seem to go well together at all. But I’m a good cook, and I have imagination. My recipe for pumpkin soup came out of that time, and we still love it, though I have to adapt a few things for my condition now.
Yasmine’s Pumpkin-Sausage Soup
2 lbs very mild/sweet sausage (maple or brown sugar flavor is best) (you can use ground beef or turkey, as well)
1 large granny smith apple, cored and diced into small pieces
5 ribs of celery, diced into small pieces
2 1-lb cans of pureed pumpkin (you can substitute butternut squash puree)
3 cups chicken stock
2 cans of unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup sherry
1 tbsp Chicken better than bouillon
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
Salt to taste
Dice sausage into bite size pieces. In large saucepot, add 2 tbsp olive oil and sausage. Cook until nearly done. Add in apple, celery, parsley and thyme, bouillon, and sauté till tender but still with a bit of a crunch.
Stir in pumpkin, then, using a whisk, whisk in chicken stock, 1 cup at a time, sherry, and finally—coconut milk. Heat through till almost boiling, then add toasted pecans, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 3-4.