Make Pumpkin Soup
Around Halloween, you may not know what to do with all the extra pumpkin. Maybe you've already made pumpkin pie, prepared a pumpkin smoothie, baked pumpkin bread, and still have pumpkin leftover, or would prefer to try something different. Why not try pumpkin soup? It can be a hearty side dish at your next Halloween party.
Ingredients
- 3 1⁄3 Lb pumpkin, peeled and cubed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 3/4 oz butter
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 1⁄8 pt chicken stock
- 2 1⁄8 pt water
- 2 Tbsp crème fraiche (Fresh Cream)
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 slices of Make "No Knead" Whole Wheat Bread, cut into small cubes
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- Salt and pepper
- Ricotta cheese (optional)
Steps
- Preheat the stovetop. Put the saucepan/pot over a stove burner set to medium or high heat. Put the butter in the pot when hot and let it turn brown. Add the onion slices to cook for about five minutes. Stir in the garlic afterwards.
- Cook the soup. Stir in the pumpkin and chicken stock after the onions have shown a slight brown. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer it for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180º C or 350º F.
- Spread out croutons on a tray. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar onto the croûtons. Then lightly drizzle the olive oil onto the croûtons.
- Put the tray inside the oven. Bake for seven minutes. Take the tray back out when the croûtons have a brown and crispy look.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper and add the maple syrup after the 20 minute mark. Stir and take off the heat.
- Use a ladle and scoop the soup into a blender. Drain water back in the pan as you scoop. Before blending, release the steam/heat from the soup. Pulse the soup about two or three times before blending for 30 seconds. Add one tablespoon of crème fraiche and blend again. Pour the blended soup into another saucepan. Repeat the blending process with the rest of the soup.
- Serve the soup by pouring it into bowls and sprinkling some croûtons on top of it. Add a little garnish, such as mint.
- Finished.
Tips
- Roasting the pumpkin with the garlic makes the garlic flavour more bold and strong. Roasting also cooks the pumpkin better before hand, but it takes about 40 minutes.
- Ricotta cheese can add a little bit of an interesting flavour. Use a desert spoon for just a little, or if you want a really interesting and unique flavour, you may want to use 3.
Warnings
- Some blenders don't handle hot ingredients well. You may want to chill the soup for 2 hours, then blend it. Then reheat it, and, if you like, add ricotta cheese.
Things You'll Need
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 tray
- 1 blender
- 1 ladle
