“One whiff of a savory aromatic soup and appetites come to attention. The steaming fragrance of a tempting soup is a prelude to the goodness to come. An inspired soup puts family and guests in a receptive mood for enjoying the rest of the menu.”
Louis P. De Gouy
Roasted Pumpkin Soup … comforting, smooth, silky and delicious. I’ve been on a pumpkin high of late. Must be the season. I get drawn to vibrant orange pumpkins each time I visit the local market! The bright orange ones are HUGE, and then there are these little ‘green from the outside and yellow inside‘ ones. Pretty! This humble veggie holds a lot of promise, more promise than I have ever realised.
Pumpkin Pie is a said thing in our home, but now I am eagerly stepping out to explore and experiment further. Roasted Pumpkin Soup has been on my bucket list for a few years! Why? Because I enjoyed my first ever pumpkin soup with immensely talented and large hearted Jamie in London many years ago. We excitedly met for the Food Blogger Connect, one of the best get togethers of our blogging life. Nascent bloggers, a food centric conference, a relatively low key {as compared to today} meetup … the memories still alive in the head!
’twas a dream come true – Jamie, Meeta, Mowie, Jeanne, Hilda, Beth, Allesio, Pamela, Nic, Sunita. We met up day after day, night after night, eating like there was no tomorrow, splitting our sides like mad folk, painting downtown London red, getting lost incessantly, finding our way again, tripping along in the biting cold. Those were happy November days!
There have been many food blogger conferences thereafter, loads I have read about, but this one was special! I still remember sharing a Pumpkin Soup with Jamie after a visit to the Marylebone Farmers’ Market; a soup I never forgot. There was a fantastic whole grain bread on the side too. While I still have to make the bread some day, the soup is what I have tried to recreate.
It isn’t like the one we had that cold winter afternoon, yet the sentiments suddenly came alive. Oh the nostalgia! This is my style of roasted pumpkin soup … roasted pumpkin, a bone stock with gentle fennel and coriander {left over from stock from biryani}, a dash of cream and hints of green chilies! You can make a vegetarian version with vegetable stock if you like.
Got huge thumbs up from the men at home. They had 2 huge bowls each, slurping through happily. The daughter isn’t a ‘soup person‘ so was excused! Strangely enough, I loved it cold! Must be the weather which has been quite warm of late.
[print_this]Recipe: Roasted pumpkin soup
Summary: Comforting bowlfuls of roasted pumpkin soup with delicate flavours of fennel and coriander, and hints of green chili.
Prep Time: 10minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Ingredients:
50g onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
750g cooked fresh pumpkin puree
1-2 green chilies, roughly chopped
1ltr bone stock {or vegetable stock}
75g low fat cream
Salt to taste
Olive oil {or butter}
Method:
Heat the olive oil or butter in a large heavy bottom pan. Saute the chopped onions and garlic for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the pumpkin puree, green chilies and stock, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Season with salt, add the low fat cream. Blend once cool enough. Adjust seasoning if required.
Season with freshly ground black pepper and fresh coriander leaves, sunflower or pumpkin seeds maybe a drizzle of cream.
