Roasted Homestyle Pumpkin Soup. A Very Lovely Warming Soup. Simply served with a swirl of cream. This is Homestyle Cooking Simply at its Best! Vegetarian and Vegan-Friendly! – Enjoy!
NOTES:
Make sure you get a lovely orange-fleshed pumpkin. Scratch the surface of the skin to make sure it is a lovely bright orange beneath.
I never needed to add any salt due to the chicken noodle soup and chicken stock cube having enough salt.
If out of carrots they may be replaced with pumpkin – I happened to do so and my soup was still very lovely!
Keep the sweet liquid that drains from your pumpkin on cooking, to add to your soup. This will add a lovely flavor boost to your soup.
Unsweetened coconut and almond milk are optional if you are vegan and you may leave out the chicken noodle soup, stock cube, and cream.
You may add your garlic cloves as soon as your onions are tender. Adding garlic too soon tends to weaken its flavor.
METHOD:
1 sugar pumpkin (Around 900 g in weight or 3 cups canned pumpkin) I used the small round variety pumpkin
2 carrots, chopped
45 ml (half butter to oil) If you are going to saute your onions
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger (or dried)
½ teaspoon ground allspice
Dash nutmeg or to taste
1 bay leaf
Salt, to taste
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, to taste
3 cups vegetable broth consisting – OR – 1 (55 – 60 g) packet Chicken Noodle Soup to taste
1 chicken stock cube
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sage leaves, chopped or dried to taste
METHOD:
Wash pumpkin well and place into shopping packet, or strong bag (I use 2). Throw onto a hard floor to break it up and remove the seeds and stringy bits of pulp.
Pre-steam or Roast all veggies until they are just soft enough to puree.
To Steam Pumpkin: Place pieces of pumpkin, flesh side facing down, in a large microwave steam container or basket. Cover with a dinner plate. Do not add any water (Pumpkin has plenty of water) and steam on high until fork tender. Do not overcook! Set aside, covered to sweat while, as it cools down, which will make it easier to remove the skin later.
To Roast Pumpkin: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in half, and Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper, then place them cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the pumpkins with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place in the oven and roast for 45 min – 1 hour, until soft. Remove the pumpkin and set aside to cool enough for handling.
To Roast Vegetables: Place the carrots, onions, and garlic in the same tray and roast for 15 minutes.
Steam Vegetables: Add them to your pumpkin, above, to steam until just tender enough to puree. If you don’t want to steam your onions follow the method below.
Follow instructions on chicken noodle soup to make up and set aside.
Peel and chop onions and leeks.
Add half butter to oil, in a saucepan and saute onions until tender.
Add the rest of your ingredients excluding cream.
Simmer, adjust seasoning to taste.
Puree off the heat with stick blender directly in the saucepan.
As soon as the soup is ready you may add cream, but do not allow it to boil.
To Serve: Crumble some feta cheese over each serving in a bowl, together with some optional fresh parsley.
A very lovely Soup!