PUMPKIN SOUP
Pumpkin soup is a comfort hug in a bowl, silky, warming and impossibly moreish. Its natural sweetness and velvety texture make it a brilliant blank canvas: a swirl of cream, a hit of tangy yoghurt, crunchy seeds or a sprinkle of za’atar can all jazz it up depending on your mood. It’s the kind of dish that’s cosy yet sophisticated, simple yet endlessly adaptable.
Roasting the pumpkin first is the secret that turns good soup into bloody brilliant soup. The dry heat caramelises the pumpkin’s sugars, creating deep, toasty edges and a concentrated, nutty sweetness that boiling or steaming just can’t touch. Those browned bits bring a layer of savoury complexity, think caramel, honeyed depth and an almost smoky warmth, which amps up every spoonful. When you blend that roasted flesh with stock and a few aromatics, you get a soup with richer flavour, better body and serious crowd pleasing vibes.
PUMPKIN SOUP
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PUMPKIN SOUP 〰️
Time: 1 hour + 45 minutes
Serves: 3-4
1 whole butternut pumpkin
1 whole garlic bulb
1 + 1 tbl sp gr cumin
1 tbl sp cinnamon
2 brown onions
2 shallots
1 tea sp Aleppo pepper (or chilli flakes)
1 ltr vegetable stock
Salt & pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Garnish: Greek yogurt, aleppo pepper, fresh thyme
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
Quarter the pumpkin long ways, scoop out the seeds and lay down on large tray skin side down. Half the garlic bulb horizontally and place on bottom of tray, preferably hidden under some pumpkin.
In small bowl add 4 tbl sp olive oil, 1 tbl sp cumin, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Mix together and then brush onto pumpkin flesh. Pour a generous amount of olive oil onto garlic and then place into oven for 60 minutes or until a fork pierces the pumpkin with little resistance. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little.
Whilst pumpkin is cooling, thinly slice shallots and rough dice the onions, before placing into large pot on medium heat with a glug of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sweat down for 10 minutes.
Once pumpkin is cool enough to work with, remove skin and break into pieces. Add remaining cumin and aleppo pepper into onions and mix together for a minute. Add in pumpkin and roasted garlic (remove from skin) and mix through. Pour in vegetable stock and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Once simmered, blitz until smooth and season with salt to taste. Serve with crunchy bread and garnish with yogurt, fresh thyme and extra aleppo pepper or chilli.