I love pumpkins and believe them to be a much maligned vegetable in this country, generally used once a year in October for the purpose of making Jack o' Lanterns. I don't deny that I am one for making these ghoulish decorations but I think we can miss the fact that the pumpkin is a fantastic food as well. I have found that the best eating ones are not the giant specimens which are probably mostly water, but the small ones, around 1.5kg. These are labelled as 'culinary pumpkins' in my local supermarket. Presumably as opposed to the sculpting variety. Of course you can make this soup with any squash, the most easily available being the butternut squash. Pumpkins are also in that fabulous group known as the superfoods. High in potassium, beta-carotene and Vitamin C which are all essential to our well-being. Potassium can help with high blood pressure, beta-carotene is converted to Vitamin A which helps with growth, healthy skin, is an anti-oxidant and helps to boost your immune system. And Vitamin C is vital for us apes to maintain a good immune system. So all in all pumpkins rule.
A note about chopping a pumpkin: if you have a woodsman handy, get him to do it with an axe. If not, you will have to learn to be very patient and very careful. They are extremely hard vegetables and not ones that yield easily. The best tool is a very sharp serrated knife, of a size that you can easily wield. You have been warned!
1.5kg pumpkin olive oil garlic infused olive oil (optional)
2 sticks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
300ml vegetable stock
500ml freshly boiled water
300ml semi-skimmed milk
salt and pepper
double cream, crème fraiche or natural yoghurt to serve
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6
Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop and out all the fibrous material and seeds and set aside. Now cut each half of the pumpkin into four wedges. Place in a roasting tin and drizzle liberally with olive oil and then put a touch of garlic olive oil on each wedge, then turn all the wedges about so they are covered in oil. Put in oven for 40 minutes, turning half way through. Meanwhile, extract the seeds from the fibrous pulp and put on to a dry baking sheet, making sure they are only one layer thick. Put these into the oven at the same time you turn the wedges and leave in for the remainder of the cooking time, i.e. 20 minutes. Once the seeds have gone in chop your celery and onion and place in a large saucepan with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. This draws some water out of the onions and stops them from catching as you soften them. Cook on a low heat until both onion and celery are cooked and soft. Set aside until needed.
Once 40 minutes is up, remove the wedges and seeds and set aside to cool. (The seeds won't be needed again until serving.) Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel the skin of the flesh and discard, setting the flesh aside. Add the stock and water to the celery and onions and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat. Add the pumpkin flesh and mash it into the stock. The easiest way to do this is with a potato masher. Once the flesh is reasonably mashed up, liquidise the soup using a jug blender or hand held blender. Once the it is completely smooth return to the pan (if using a jug blender) and add the milk. Grate in as much fresh nutmeg as you wish, then bring to boil once then simmer gently or turn off heat until the soup is needed.
To serve, add a dollop of whichever dairy product you prefer with a scattering of the roasted pumpkin seeds, et voila!
A note about chopping a pumpkin: if you have a woodsman handy, get him to do it with an axe. If not, you will have to learn to be very patient and very careful. They are extremely hard vegetables and not ones that yield easily. The best tool is a very sharp serrated knife, of a size that you can easily wield. You have been warned!
1.5kg pumpkin olive oil garlic infused olive oil (optional)
2 sticks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
300ml vegetable stock
500ml freshly boiled water
300ml semi-skimmed milk
salt and pepper
double cream, crème fraiche or natural yoghurt to serve
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6
Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop and out all the fibrous material and seeds and set aside. Now cut each half of the pumpkin into four wedges. Place in a roasting tin and drizzle liberally with olive oil and then put a touch of garlic olive oil on each wedge, then turn all the wedges about so they are covered in oil. Put in oven for 40 minutes, turning half way through. Meanwhile, extract the seeds from the fibrous pulp and put on to a dry baking sheet, making sure they are only one layer thick. Put these into the oven at the same time you turn the wedges and leave in for the remainder of the cooking time, i.e. 20 minutes. Once the seeds have gone in chop your celery and onion and place in a large saucepan with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. This draws some water out of the onions and stops them from catching as you soften them. Cook on a low heat until both onion and celery are cooked and soft. Set aside until needed.
Once 40 minutes is up, remove the wedges and seeds and set aside to cool. (The seeds won't be needed again until serving.) Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel the skin of the flesh and discard, setting the flesh aside. Add the stock and water to the celery and onions and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat. Add the pumpkin flesh and mash it into the stock. The easiest way to do this is with a potato masher. Once the flesh is reasonably mashed up, liquidise the soup using a jug blender or hand held blender. Once the it is completely smooth return to the pan (if using a jug blender) and add the milk. Grate in as much fresh nutmeg as you wish, then bring to boil once then simmer gently or turn off heat until the soup is needed.
To serve, add a dollop of whichever dairy product you prefer with a scattering of the roasted pumpkin seeds, et voila!
No comments:
Post a Comment