Thai Pumpkin Soup a la Nicky

What is good for cold weather and using up farm share veggies? SOUP! Especially applicable if it involves pumpkin and a little bit of heat from a chili. (Don't worry English family, the heat part is optional.) Enjoy!

* 1 tablespoon oil (I used a combo of olive and safflower)
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
* 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
* 1 large leek, chopped
* 1 small fresh red chili pepper, chopped into small pieces (optional)
* 1 small piece of chopped ginger
* 1.5 tablespoons of lemon grass paste (they have this in the fresh herb part of the vegetable section at the grocery store)
* 32 oz cups chicken stock
* 2 cans of light coconut milk
* 2 small peeled and diced pie pumpkins; OR 1 small pumpkin and 1 package of frozen pureed winter squash (from the frozen veggie freezer section); OR 2-3 packages of frozen pureed winter squash
* 1 peeled and diced eggplant
* 2 tbsp red curry paste, or more to taste (in the Asian food section)

Set aside a small bowl with your chopped eggplant and salt lightly.

In a soup pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic, green onion and leeks, ginger, chili pepper, lemongrass and red curry pastes in oil until onions and leeks are soft and fragrant. Add a little salt and pepper. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and then add it and all other ingredients left to the leek mixture. Stir well, bring to a boil and then turn down to medium, cover and cook until pumpkin softens, stirring occasionally.

Take your soup off of the heat, and taste test; add more salt, pepper, red curry paste and lemongrass paste to taste. Once your soup has cooled somewhat, using a blender or immersion blender, blend the soup in batches to your preferred consistency, whatever you prefer.