Curried Pumpkin Bisque

This recipe is a combination of two recipes from Epicurious.com.

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
1.5 - 2 cups finely chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
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2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cloves 
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4 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken (or veggie) broth, divided
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin (2 cups pumpkin puree)
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1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cups frozen corn kernels
2 Tbsp tomato paste (about)
1 Tbsp chopped frozen sage (about, optional)
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Garnish Optional: 1 cup (packed) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and bell pepper; saute until veggies begin to soften, about 8 min. Add curry powder and other spices stir 1 minute. The spices should become very fragrant but not burn. Add about 1 cup broth and pumpkin. Blend the soup in batches in a blender (watch out for hot exploding soup!) and return to the pot. (You can also use an imersion blender right in the pot.) Add remaining broth, and all remaining ingredients except the cheese. Bring to a boil Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill until cold, the cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over medium heat, adding more broth if soup is too thick.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheese if desired.

Note: We first made this in Nov 2005. It's good even without the corn, tomato paste, sage, or cheese. The first day the spices aren't too evident, but by the second day the flavors come out more.

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