Spiced-pumpkin & pepper chowder

PREP TIME

15 min

Makes

8 cups (2 L)

* PLUS Cooking time: 26 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 small sugar-pie pumpkin
2 leeks
2 tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves , minced
1 to 2 jalapenos , seeded and chopped
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 bell peppers , preferably yellow and red
1 tbsp curry powder , or 2 tsp Indian curry paste
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 284-mL cans undiluted chicken broth
400-mL can coconut milk
398-mL can tomato sauce , about 1 2/3 cups
4 to 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts , optional

Instructions

Cut pumpkin into quarters. (Microwaving on high for a couple of minutes makes this easier.) Peel, then scoop out and discard seeds. Cut into small cubes. Cut off and discard dark green part of leeks. Slice white part in half lengthwise. Fan out and rinse under cold running water to remove grit. Thinly slice. Melt butter in a large wide saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks, garlic, jalapeños and ginger. Stir often until leeks begin to soften, 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop peppers. Once leeks are soft, add curry, allspice and cinnamon. Stir constantly until fragrant, 1 minute. Pour in broth, coconut milk and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add pumpkin and peppers. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until pumpkin is fork-tender, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. When pumpkin is almost fork-tender, stir in chicken. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories
282,
Protein
21.8 g,
Carbohydrates
17.1 g,
Fat
15.4 g,
Fibre
3.1 g,
Sodium
812 mg.

For this soul-soothing stew, chunks of pumpkin and pepper need less than a half-hour of simmering in a curried tomato broth laced with coconut and ginger. Be sure to have thick slices of warm crusty bread for dunking.