My Very Own Pumpkin Soup Recipe

            Pumpkin is one of the underestimated vegetable, but it is one of the abundant ones in the Philippines.   Slowly however, pumpkin is gaining serious recognition as a very versatile vegetable.  I have seen it prepared in different ways.  The Japanese would grill it.  Koreans would make it into croquettes and sometimes healthy kinds of juices.  And there would be more in  the future. All one needs is a little creativity.  

     I discovered my own recipe when I tried to find a way to utilize a medium-sized pumpkin. What i did was I sliced the pumpkin into smaller slices for easier mashing.   And then I placed them in a kettle with water not more than the amount of pumpkin.  Just enough to soften the pumpkin and be mashed easily. Once it is soft and can be mashed, you can prepare the following:

tofu - diced into small pieces

ground meat (for the vegetarian, you can skip this)

garlic

onlion

salt 

pepper

evaporated milk

water (the amount would depend on the consistency that you prefer)

butter

onion leaves or parsley (minced for garnish)

     In a medium-sized sauce pan or kettle, melt butter and saute garlic and onion, put in the ground meat, put salt and pepper. Once the meat is cooked, put in the diced tofu and give about 10 minutes for it to be cooked. put a pinch of salt and pinch of pepper.  Pour water slowly making sure it will be in the consistency that you desire.  If you want to make it thick and creamy, put just a half cup.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Put in the mashed pumpkin and stir.  Season to taste and lastly pour in the evaporated milk and season to taste again.  

You can garnish with minced onion leaves or minced parsley or your favorite herb.