Curried Pumpkin Soup (spicy!!!)

I've already said in previous posts (also here and here) that squash is one of my favorite foods. Pumpkin is also a squash, and today I tried my hand at making pumpkin soup. I decided to try making a curried soup, and I definitely came out with something spicy! The soup goes great with crusty whole grain bread (see the photo). A few variations to try: for the liquid, try using vegetable broth, apple cider, or pumpkin ale (I used 3 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup apple cider); if you don't like your food too spicy, reduce the amount of curry and red pepper flakes in the recipe below.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (6-12 servings, depending on serving size)
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 ribs celery, fined chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
dash cinnamon
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. chopped fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
4 cups liquid (vegetable broth, apple cider, pumpkin ale, etc.)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (regular or nonfat)

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Use a food processor to puree mixture.

2. Combine pumpkin, curry, black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger, liquid, and onion / garlic / celery mixture in a large pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and serve!