If you need a little something different for your Thanksgiving spread, you can try this red curry-miso pumpkin soup. I know red curry and miso don’t exactly conjure-up the traditional flavors of the holiday but that’s all the more reason to try this recipe, especially if you’ll be appearing at assorted Friendsgiving events. The pumpkin keeps it “on theme” while dodging any chance at “more of the same”. And miso and red curry paste both pair well with squash. Why not shoot for “progressively” traditional this year as a way to build bridges at your Thanksgiving table?

Ingredients:

1 chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
4 cups broth
1 peeled and chopped sweet potato
1/2 a small roasted sugar pumpkin (a can of pumpkin puree is fine as a substituation for fresh pumpkin)
2 cups water (or enough to thin to desired consistancy)
a wedge of lime
1 tbsp miso paste
cilantro, croutons, and pepitas for garnish
sriracha (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot, saute the onion and carrots together for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften.
Add the Thai Red Curry Paste and mix to combine.
Slowly add the broth, deglazing the bottom of the pot in the process.
Stir in the sweet potato and pumpkin and bring the temperature up to a soft boil. (Add water if necessary to cover the ingredients.)
Let cook until the sweet potatoes are soft and cooked all the way through.
Carefully blend the soup with an immersion blender. (Using a standard blender is fine, just do it in batches and let the soup cool some first as the heat can cause damage.)
Squeeze a wedge of lime and stir it in for taste.
Add water if necessary to thin the soup to your desired consistancy.
Return to tempurature and then remove from heat before adding the miso paste. (Miso paste is temperature sensitive. Do not boil.)
Remove a cup or so of soup and disolve the miso paste in it, then return it the pot and stir to combine.
Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with cilantro, croutons, pepitas and sriracha if using.

And now for the disclosure statement…

If you know me or have been following here for a while then you know I’m not one for accuracy or measurements when it comes to cooking. I’m about flavor! I’m intentionally working to better document my recipes as I know that they can be helpful to others. However, a recipe can often feel restricting, stunting the creative process when one assumes they don’t have all the necessary ingredients to make a dish. Dismiss that hesitation and lean-in. If you look at recipes and consider them as flavor profiles instead of how-to guides, you’ll discover your inner chef. The recipe above is actually inspired by this dish from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook Super Natural Every Day. It looks quite a bit different, but it’s kinda the same. I substituted sweet potatoes for the new potatoes which then prompted a switch from lemon juice to lime juice. I skipped the tofu and kale all together but for the most part, the ingredients are much the same. The big difference is the original recipe is like a salad, whereas mine is a soup!

Have I lost you yet? My point is cooking is all about flavor, and more importantly it’s understanding flavor profiles! Flavor combinations are the bones to every good meal and if you are unsure of where to begin, I strongly recommend this book. (There is also a vegetarian version if that’s more your things and I will tell you that I own both and use them constantly!)

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

By Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

Once you understand which foods and flavors work well together, you can begin to craft original recipes. In my opinion, this is what takes your from being a cook to becoming a chef. Techniques can be taught but melding flavors together is an art. Much like a painter that combines colors to create new colors, a flavor profile is derived from depth. It’s one thing building on another to produce taste which helps define your palate. If you let the seasonal produce be your guide and flavor combinations develop your palate, you’ll discover new ways to assemble meals, even in a pinch!

Good luck, get creative, and enjoy the craft of cooking!

How to Feed a Senior is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. If you choose to purchase items after clicking on these links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

I made this Thai Red Curry Poutine a few weeks back sparking lots of interest in a recipe. I was kinda making it up as I went, throwing stuff together somewhat haphazardly. At the time I was only thinking about how best to stuff my face with some left-over french fries that were hanging in my fridge so my how-to specifics here are a bit vague. When I posted this on social medial many of you asked about a recipe so I thought I should try and write one out. Granted, I'm going off memory here so measurements might be a bit wonky but more importantly, this is the type of dish you can gauge more on appearance. If the gravy is too thick, add more coconut milk. If it's looking too soupy, let it simmer down. This gorge-fest is a far cry from rocket science. You can wing it. Have faith!

Ingredients

Some left-over french fries or baked potato
1 can coconut milk
1/2 ground meat (beef, pork, or chicken...)
2 thinly sliced green onions (keeping the whites and greens seperated)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 TBSP minced ginger
1+ TBSP Thai Red Curry Paste (or more if necessary for taste)
1/3 cup shredded, mild white cheese like Mozzarella or Provolone
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream
lime wedge

Directions

Reheat your french fries on a baking sheet in 350 degree oven
In a pan sauté the white parts of the green onions with the red curry paste.
Add the ground meat, minced garlic, and ginger cooking it all together. (I used ground pork but you can use whatever.)
Once the meat is kinda cooked and broken up, stir in 1/2ish the can of coconut milk and simmer lightly. You want to cook it down so it thickens into a "gravy". Add more or less coconut milk if necessary. You can also add more curry paste if you need to.
After heating your fries (or baked potato?) top with the "gravy" and the cheese and melt it in the oven.
After heating it up, remove from the oven and add the green onion tops,fresh cilantro, dollop of sour cream (or yogurt) and then squeeze with fresh lime.

If I had any sense about me I would have topped this all off with some runny-yolked egg and called it breakfast but you know... Still good! And for anyone in need of council, I'm here for you. Like I said, my measurement are roughly a guess at good estimates so let me know how it goes if you make this, which you should probably plan to do ASAP. Enjoy!