Pumpkin Soup With Ancho and Apple

Name: Pumpkin Soup With Ancho and Apple
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds); 1 medium onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick; 1 dried ancho chile, stemmed, seeded and torn in small strips; 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela; 3 cups plain canned pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cans); Salt to taste; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 cup Mexican crema, or crème fraîche, mascarpone or sour cream

Recipe from Rick Bayless

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Pumpkin Soup With Ancho and Apple — Taylor Glascock for The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(741)
Comments: Read comments

Chances are the contents of that can of pumpkin purée you may be using for pie, soup, biscuits, custard, ice cream or bread came from Illinois. It’s the state that produces the most pumpkin for canning. This vibrant soup, from the chef Rick Bayless, an owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, is inspired by Mexico, where pumpkin is as typical an ingredient as the pepitas, ancho chile, canela and crema that are also in the recipe. His original calls for fresh squash or pumpkin — about 1½ pounds, peeled, seeded, cut in chunks and added to the pot with the apple. But Mr. Bayless was amenable to adapting his recipe for canned purée, paying homage to Illinois. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: The United States of Thanksgiving

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

2tablespoons unsalted butter
½cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1medium onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
1dried ancho chile, stemmed, seeded and torn in small strips
1apple, peeled, cored and chopped
½teaspoon ground black pepper
½teaspoon cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
3cups plain canned pumpkin (about 1½ cans)
Salt to taste
½teaspoon sugar
½cup Mexican crema, or crème fraîche, mascarpone or sour cream

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Melt butter in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan. Add half the pepitas and the onion and cook, stirring, on medium heat, until the onion is golden and the pepitas have started to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the chile pieces, cook a minute or two, then add the apple, black pepper, cinnamon and pumpkin.
Step 2
Stir in 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast the remaining pepitas on medium heat and set aside.
Step 3
Pureé the soup in a blender. (You will need two shifts.) Return the soup to saucepan and season with salt and the sugar. Serve the soup in warm bowls with a dollop of crema and a sprinkling of toasted pepitas on top.

Ratings

4 out of 5

741 user ratings

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Comments

Marcela Aguilera7 years ago

I am mexican, then I make a little change with the chile ancho: put 4 chiles in a boiling water, rest them for 10 min. after put them in a blender, if you want a more spicy flavor, blend them with this water, if not, blend with clean water, use water enough, for getting a soft mashed, strain it.
Follow all the directions.
For serving put 1 tbsp in each plate en serve the soup.

Whit the remaining "salsa de chile anche", you can make chilaquiles or scrambled eggs. Enjoy!

Kristen7 years ago

First, why waste a cup of pumpkin? Used two full cans and used 6 cups chicken broth instead of water. Lots of salt and pepper, plus some apple cider syrup for some pop.

Jessica7 years ago

These are actually different things, though, and not simply translations into Spanish. Canela is a variety of cinnamon with soft bark (that is most often sold as "canela," not as Mexican cinnamon, so using the more generic name may confuse people looking to buy it). Crema is not cream, but rather a Mexican product that resembles a thinner sour cream; there is no English name for that product other than "crema," which is how it is labeled in American grocery stores.

Kimberly4 months ago

I made this soup with some modifications because I used what I had. Many I later found in the helpful comments. It was so good I made it twice- I had plenty of fresh pumpkin! First (double) batch, made a day ahead with fresh pumpkin, leeks, no pepitas and crushed red pepper. I used vegetable broth and Macintosh apples. The. I added the water from the other 1/2 of the pumpkin I had roasted. WOW! No sugar needed after that. I added a little more crushed red pepper and served it the next day with maple yogurt. Delicious. The second batch I made with the remaining roasted pumpkin, crushed red pepper, and onion. No caramelized pumpkin water so I added some brown sugar. Served with plain Greek yogurt this time, same day as made. Good, but next time I will make it ahead again.

Tom Edds5 months ago

I just made this and I'm surprised how spicy it is. It's my first time cooking with an ancho pepper. Maybe the pepper was too big or I got the wrong kind? Otherwise I like the flavor.

Maureen1 year ago

Love this recipe as is, or fully vegan, or not at all. I’ve made it so many times, and after the first go never the same way twice. Had some homemade applesauce, subbed for the apple. Feeling mostly savory tonight so added some chopped up ends of country ham with the onion, chicken broth to thin it up a bit, and a big handful of baby kale. Fabulous.

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