[Sca-cooks] Moroccan Pumpkin and Carrot Soup

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Since folks have been starting to talk about holiday food, here's 
another recipe, using vegetables and spices associated with the 
season. This one comes from a Moroccan gourmet chef, Habeeb Salloum, 
and it's Moroccan in inspiration, although not strictly traditional.

Moroccan Spiced Pumpkin and Carrot Soup

1 kg fresh pumpkin and carrot pieces
1 tablespoon clarified butter
1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, cleaned and sliced
2 cups unsalted vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to medium heat. Brush pumpkin and carrot pieces with 
butter and cover pan tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour or until 
flesh is very tender when pierced with a fork.

Scoop pumpkin flesh into a bowl.

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add leeks and cook over medium-high 
heat until they are translucent. Add carrots and pumpkin flesh, any 
pumpkin liquid, the stock, salt/pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves; 
bring to a simmer. Puree mixture until very smooth. Lower heat and 
for a creamier taste, add cream till warmed.

Serve immediately.
-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita