Pumpkinsoup

The pumpkin I bought on the market eventually ended in a soup. Not very original but as pumpkin isn't an acquired taste in this country, soup is a fairly friendly way of starting. So this soup needed some warm spices, a nice soft touch...

I searched the net for recipes, browsed my cookbooks and -as always- ended by combining what I found.

Recipe:

approx.. 1500 gr pumpkin (weight incl. skin)
1 tbs butter
1 onion diced
1 liter vegetable broth
400 ml milk/cream
1/4 ts cinnamon
1/4 ts cumin
1/4 ts crushed ginger
1/4 ts freshly ground chili pepper
salt & pepper
3 tbs french mustard
3 tbs honey
sour cream/creme fraiche

Cut your pumpkin into thick slices and lightly oil them. Roast in the oven for approx. 30 minutes. (Oven 350F). Toward the end of cooking time test for doneness with a fork. Flesh will be soft and the skin of the pumpkin could be wrinkled. Remove from oven and carefully peel off the skin.

Sautée onion in the butter and add spices, cook on medium heat until fragrant. Add the cooked pumpkin and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large souppot and add the broth. (Rinse the onion pan with a little broth to use all flavours). Meanwhile mix milk and mustard and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Stir frequently because the pumpkin tends to stick to the bottom of your pot.
Purée this in a blender or food processor adding the honey. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche (sour cream) and some fresh parsley.



We had this soup for dinner, and I made mini whole wheat loaves and a 3-cheeses bread.