Emerald Entrées: Pumpkin Soup with Cannabis-Furikake Kale

As storms move through California’s North Coast in November, Humboldt County residents welcome the start of soup season. An easy, fail-proof recipe, this pumpkin soup is as healthy as it is delicious. For an extra medicinal and flavor factor, top each bowl liberally with the cannabis Furikake-kale topping.

Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from MinimalistBaker.com

Ingredients:

•  2 small-medium sugar pumpkins
  •  1 Tablespoon olive oil (+ extra for baking sheet)
  •  1 small white onion, diced
  •  4 cloves garlic, diced
  •  2 cups organic chicken broth
  •  1½ cups (full-fat) coconut milk
  •  2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  •  ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  •  ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  •  fresh ground black pepper + sea salt to taste (the Furikake topping is fairly salty)
  
  Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice off tops of pumpkins and halve.
2. Use a spoon to scrape seeds and strings into the compost.
3. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil. Place pumpkins flesh side down and rub lightly in oil, so surfaces touching pan are evenly coated. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. When cool, peel flesh from skin and set aside.
5. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.
6. Add diced onion and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned and smelling fragrant. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Pumpkin will break down under heat. If you like pumpkin dishes on the sweeter side, add extra ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg each and extra maple syrup to taste.
7. Use an emulsion (stick) blender to puree the soup or transfer to a blender if only option available (if so, blend in batches to prevent hot, messy overflow). Keep soup on low and season with salt and pepper to taste, remembering that Furikake-Kale topping will ratchet up saltiness.

Cannabis-Furikake Kale

Ingredients:

•  2 cups roughly chopped kale
  •  2 garlic clove, diced
  •  4 Tablespoons Furikake seasoning (find in Asian food section or specialty store)*
  •  2 Tablespoons cannabis olive oil
  
  Instructions:

1. In a small skillet over medium heat, dry toast Furikake for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until aromatic and sesame seeds are lightly browned.
2. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Keeping heat on medium, add cannabis olive oil to hot pan. Add garlic and sauté a few minutes until light brown.
4. Add chopped kale and stir to coat, then cover to let steam until kale is wilted. Add Furikake back in and stir together.
5. Ladle 1 ½  to 2 cups of pumpkin soup in each bowl and top with a generous pile of cannabis-Furikake kale (top modestly for cannabis-sensitive guests). Try serving with a rustic loaf of local bread and enjoy!

*Furikake is a Japanese seasoning blend comprised of sesame seeds, seaweed and dried fish. It’s absolutely delicious! The herbaceous cannabis coconut oil only enhances the flavor and balances the sweet flavor profile of the pumpkin soup.

Written by Nora Mounce