Moroccan Chef Kitty Morse asked, “So what do you do when life hands you a carved pumpkin, and you don’t want to throw it away? Make pumpkin chorba.”

In Morocco, chorba is a catch-all word for vegetable soup incorporating vermicelli broken up into tiny pieces. A bowl of steaming chorba is standard fare in many Moroccan households on chilly evenings. If you would like more information on Chef Morse’s cookbook  “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa” or her other cookbooks click here: http://www.kittymorse.com/about-me

Pumpkin, Tomato, and Vermicelli Soup (Chorba)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 medium onion
4 whole garlic cloves
6 cups broth
2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
5 medium tomatoes (or 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes), quartered
12 sprigs cilantro, tied with string
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup broken up capellini, or angel hair pasta
1 to 2 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Wedges of lemon

Directions:

Stud the onion with the cloves. In a large saucepan or soup pot, combine the broth, squash, celery, tomatoes, cilantro, and turmeric. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain, reserving broth in a bowl.

Discard the onion, cloves, and cilantro.

In a blender, food processor or ricer, puree the vegetables in increments, adding the    reserved broth a little at a time to obtain a smooth, thick puree. This soup is usually fairly thick, but you can thin it by adding a little milk. Return the soup to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Break up the pasta into 1-inch pieces and add to the soup. Simmer until pasta is cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 cup milk or more for a thinner soup, and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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