Coconut Curry Squash Soup with Chickpeas

This is sort of like if a Thai curry met a chickpea chana and they fell in love under a squash vine. It's spicy, creamy, delicious and filling. And full of lovely fusion flavors. My husband was reminded of his aunt's Ají de Gallina and he jokingly called it Ají de Chickpea. I used store bought Thai curry paste and while I wouldn't use this brand again (mostly citrus forward and more tart than anything else), I do think in a way that citrus really complimented the chickpeas. I made this with green curry paste, but for aesthetic reasons I think it would be better with red curry paste. In part, this dish is inspired by @heydaycanning's lovely lemon harissa chickpeas (with a dash of their coconut curry chickpeas) and partly inspired by @dennistheprescott's Roasted Squash, Garlic and Chili Soup. In fact, I used the leftovers from my riff on his excellent recipe to make this delightful dish. Serve it with rice and topped with sliced green onions and/or cilantro.

𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐬

𝘠𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 8 servings

𝘐𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴

1 1/2 - 2 lbs assorted mini pumpkins

2 shallots

Small sprig thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 1/2 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

(2) 14 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

(1) 13.5 oz can coconut milk, not shaken (see notes)

3 cups vegetable stock

𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥

Preheat the oven to 400F. Slice pumpkins into 2" wedges and peel the papery skins off of the shallots. Toss the pumpkin, shallots and thyme onto a sheet pan together with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and a generous pinch each salt and pepper. Roast until very tender, 40 - 55 minutes. Let cool and peel off any of the tougher pumpkin skins. Softer skins like delicata can be left on. In your soup pot over medium heat add 3 tablespoons of the coconut cream from the top of the can. Add the remaining olive oil so the cream doesn't burn and add curry paste. Sautee until paste has become fragrant. Add roasted veggies, coconut milk and blend. As you blend add the stock, until it has reached a smooth consistency, about the thickness of chowder. For really smooth results, pass through a sieve. Once your soup is smooth, add chickpeas and turn off heat. Leave for 5 minutes to warm the chickpeas through and serve with rice, topped with cilantro, green onion and fried onions or shallots.

𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴

You want to cook with the lovely layer of cream on top, so 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵.