Pumpkin and Salami Soup!!!

I was searching for a winter soup recipe and found a new website that's a great resource for recipes and food information from Germany: www.germanfoods.org. I figured, if I'm going to cook with German pots and pans I should try cooking some German food. Couldn't resist the hilarious name of this soup: Pumpkin and Salami Soup. The words just sound so funny together. But it's really good. I used peeled and cubed Kabocha squash but butternut would work just as well, and you can get that already peeled and cubed at Trader Joe's and some supermarkets. Or you can make the job really easy and use canned pumpkin.
Pumpkin and Salami Soup
(Kürbissuppe mit Salami)
Recipe courtesy of Roz Denny, Modern German Cooking.
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
2 tbsp canola oil
1 oz butter
1 lb fresh pumpkin flesh
1 onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp mild curry powder
a good pinch of dried thyme
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 to 3 tbsp cream
4 oz German salami (such as Abraham brand) cut into shreds or quarters
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
flat leaf parsley leaves or chervil sprigs, to garnish

Preparation:
Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and gently sauté the pumpkin with the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened.

Add the curry and thyme and cook for one minute then stir in the stock. Bring to the boil, season and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 to 20 minutes until the flesh is very soft.

Strain off the liquid and reserve. Pass the solids through a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, adding the reserved liquid.

Return to the pan and bring back to the boil. Stir in the cream and then check the seasoning. Pour into warmed soup plates and gently stir through the salami pieces. Sprinkle with the parsley leaves or chervil sprigs and serve with chunks of German rye bread.