Cook with Toucan

Roasted pumpkin soup with cream

Pumpkin soup belonged long time to soups, what I didn’t search. Nobody in my family cooked it, so I didn’t have good attitude to it, because I didn’t know what to expect. But…when I first cook it alone, it was really amazing taste. I and my boyfriend came to love it immediately. Strong, fine, slightly sweet, vegetable and creamy taste amazed us. This soup immediately ranked among our favourite soups. Try to cook it :)

Ingredients for approx. 8 - 12 servings:

• Hokkaido pumpkin (approx. 1,5 kg = 3,3 lb. – weight with stem, not hollowed out)
  • wash and cut into halves
  • cut out a stem and hollow out the seeds (Tips ↓1)
  • remove pulp between seeds and put it into a small bowl (without seeds)
  • don’t peel the pumpkin!
  • cut pumpkin into cubes (size approx. 3 cm = 1,2 in.)
• oil (1 + 2 tbsp.)
• salt and ground pepper (to taste – on a pumpkin)

• medium yellow onion (1 pc)
  • peel, cut coarsely
• garlic (2 cloves)
  • chop coarsely
• oil (2 – 3 tbsp.)
• unsalted butter (2 tbsp.)

• water – cold or hot (1,2 l = 2,1 pt. UK = 4 1/2 and 1/3 cups)
  • it is better to use vegetable broth, if you have it
• cream (200 ml = 0,35 pt. UK = 1/2 and 1/3 cups)
  • I used 12% cream
  • take out of fridge, you need cream at room temperature
• salt and ground pepper (to taste)

Preparation:

• lay baking paper in the pan and brush with oil (approx. 1 tbsp.)
• move diced pumpkin into pan
• sprinkle with another oil (2 tbsp.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• roast in preheated oven at 180°C = 356°F (Tips ↓2)
• the pumpkin is ready, when it is nice roasted and the fork easily gets into pumpkin

• move diced onion and chopped garlic into big pot, add oil (2-3 tbsp.) and butter (2 tbsp.)
• now don’t turn the burner on!
• if the pumpkin is almost soft (it puts only small resistance to fork), turn the burner on and start to sauté onion with garlic

• when onion and garlic become golden, add roasted pumpkin (leave superfluous oil in the roasting pan)
• stir well
• add the pulp (what you have in the small bowl)
• pour water (1,2 l = 4 1/2 and 1/3 cups) (Tips ↓3)
• stir well again
• when it starts boiling, turn temperature down and cook approx. 30 minutes (fork has to squash pumpkin easily after this time)

• move the pot on the wooden chopping board
• mix everything well with stick blender (Tips ↓4) (Tips ↓5)
• pour cream into soup (leave little bit for garnishing) (Tips ↓6)

• return the pot on the burner and wait until the soup starts boiling
• you have to stir constantly the soup during this time (or it will be burned)
• then move the pot on the wooden chopping board again and mix well with stir blender again
• add salt and ground pepper to taste (Tips ↓7)

Tips:

1. You can dry the seeds. They are tasty.
2. The pumpkin mustn’t be burned! It is necessary to check it regularly!
3. It is not important, if you use cold or hot water. I use hot water.
4. Decide, how thick soup you want. If you think, that the thickness is all right, continue in the recipe. If you want thinner soup, pour another 100 – 200 ml of HOT water (3/8 – 6/8 cups) and mix everything well with stick blender. Then continue in the recipe. If you have bigger pumpkin than 1,5 kg (3,3 lb.), you will probably pour another water.
5. If you want to have finer soup, press the soup through strainer after mixing. But I don’t do it. I like rustic (homemade look) soup.
6. It is really important – you will need cream at room temperature or the soup can curdle.
7. Add little bit ground pepper – to taste. Add more salt – you probably add really much salt at the moment. Add salt little by little. After every addition of salt stir and taste the soup. Then add another (to taste), if it will be necessary.