Pumpkins come into their own, grown in the home garden, providing comfort and warmth from summer through to the deep heart of winter.
If you have managed to grow pumpkins in your backyard, or even purchased some fresh whole pumpkins from your favourite farmers’ market or other local outlet, it can sometimes be a challenge to dress up this vegetable which can get tedious towards the end of the season. This recipe is a tasty and warm variation on the traditional soup, giving pumpkin soup a new life!
You can use Butternut pumpkins such as these or it is equally nice with Jap or Queensland Blue. Use whatever you have. The recipes will accommodate all types.
| Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 1 hour | Ready in: 1 hour 15 min | Yields: Serves 4-6 |
Nutritional Value of Pumpkins
Filled with loads of dietary fibre and low in fat too, pumpkins can help stretch your summer produce well into autumn and winter if stored correctly.
Loaded with goodness, they are full of Vitamin E, Thiamine, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese.
Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family (with squash, marrow and zucchini or courgette), originating from South America.
Ingredients
- Approx 1 kg Pumpkin of your choice, diced
- 300 gm red capsicum, sliced lengthways
- 1 vegetable stock cube, or 1 tbsp homemade vegetable stock
- Cooking oil spray (coconut or olive oil)
- Water
- Black pepper, For seasoning
- 100ml cream or crème fraiche, for serving, optional
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese, optional
- 100gm pepitas, for serving, optional
Method
- Place the sliced capsicum on a baking tray and spray lightly with cooking oil. Place into an oven which has been pre-heated to 180°C (350°F) and roast until just turning black on the edges – approximately 20 -25 minutes.
- While the capsicum is roasting, place the diced pumpkin and vegetable stock cube in a saucepan and cover with water – just enough to cover the vegetables. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until soft and mash-able.
- Remove the roasted capsicum from the oven.
- Remove and set aside 3 ladles of the liquid from the saucepan. Do not discard this liquid yet. Add the roast capsicum to the pumpkin and using a stick blender, blend the pumpkin and roast capsicum mixture together until smooth.
- Check the consistency of your soup, if it is too thick add back some of the liquid you set aside earlier, blending as you go until you are happy with the consistency. It should be quite thick but still have a soup consistency.
- Serve into deep soup bowls with a dollop of cream or crème fraiche in the centre. Season with black pepper as preferred. As an alternative to cream you can sprinkle finely grated Parmesan on top of the soup when serving.
