This soup draws inspiration from pumpkin pie, with its creamy texture and familiar autumn spices, but it's given a tropical punch with coconut milk. This recipe is courtesy of Chef Daisy Martinez and more holiday recipes can be found in her new book Daisy’s Holiday Cooking: Delicious Latin Recipes for Effortless Entertaining (Atria Books).
MAKES 12 BUFFET SERVINGS (ABOUT 8 CUPS)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, finely diced (about ¼ cup)
8 cups diced (½-inch) peeled and seeded calabaza,
sugar pumpkin, or butternut squash (about 4 pounds whole)
2 cups homemade or store-bought chicken broth
1/2 vanilla bean
1 cinnamon stick
Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper (preferably white)
1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1⁄3 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Toasted sliced almonds
1. Melt the butter in a 4- to 5-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Keep the heat low so the shallots don’t brown. Add the calabaza and the chicken broth, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the vanilla bean and the cinnamon stick and season lightly with salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so the broth is simmering, cover the pot, and cook until the calabaza is very soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove the vanilla bean from the soup, split it lengthwise with a paring knife, and scrape the vanilla specks from inside the bean into the pot. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Working in batches, blend the soup until very smooth. To avoid splattering, either let the soup cool to tepid or work in very small batches and use a folded-up kitchen towel to clamp the lid to the blender while the machine is running. Pour each batch into a clean pot as you finish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Whisk in the coconut milk, cloves, and allspice. Heat the soup gently until heated through. The soup can be prepared completely in advance up to 2 days before serving. Refrigerate and bring back to a simmer, stirring, over very low heat before serving. Sprinkle a generous amount of the toasted almonds over each bowl of soup.
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