Jamaican Pumpkin Soup

JAMAICAN PUMPKIN SOUP With Spicy Shrimp

Jamaican Pumpkin flesh is bright orange in colour. Their skin can be green or light brown. In the Caribbean, Pumpkins can also be called calabaza, or simply winter squash.

This soup can be a hit year round and combines the glorious flavours of pumpkin, butternut squash, coconut, ginger, nutmeg, limes topped off with spicy grilled shrimp.

As a result of Dipietro’s multicultural customer base, we carry Jamaican Pumpkin most of the time in our produce department.

Jamaican Pumpkin Soup

Prep Time: 1/2 hour

Cook Time: 1/2 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

2 tbsp light olive oil, flavoured or unflavoured coconut oil, or your favourite vegetable oil.

1 onion, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 inch piece of lemongrass bruised (if available)

1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled

6 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock

2 bay leaves

6 cups peeled Jamaican pumpkin flesh cut into small chunks

1/2 cup coconut milk or coconut cream

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional)

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 12 Argentinian Shrimp from DIpietro's fresh frozen Seafood Section

1/2 cup of orange juice

Juice of one lime

Sea salt & freshly ground white pepper to taste

Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds and your favourite hot sauce or Sriracha (if desired)

Instructions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and turn heat to medium low, cooking until onions are soft and vegetables are tender.

Add stock, bay leaves, lemongrass, fresh ginger, and pumpkin flesh. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering until pumpkin is tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves, lemongrass, and ginger pieces. Add allspice, nutmeg, ground ginger, coconut milk, orange and lime juice. Hand blend or puree with a food processor until creamy smooth.

Salt and pepper the jumbo shrimp, mix in a tablespoon of olive oil to coat, grill on the BBQ or cast iron pan, or saute over high heat and baste with Sriracha sauce to finish. Set aside.

Bring mixture back up to the boil and remove from heat and season with salt & pepper. Serve in bowls, top with grilled shrimp, garnish with a drizzle of hot sauce if desired, add roasted pumpkin seeds.

Enjoy!