Pumpkin soup will be the perfect winter warmer with these 3 store cupboard essentials
Pumpkins are part and parcel of Halloween, and if you need a way to reduce waste, you can turn your leftover pumpkin into a wonderful winter soup.
Pumpkins are a staple of Halloween, illuminating the eerie nights with their frightful and often comedic faces. However, I can't help but feel that this vegetable - technically a fruit - is wasted every year.
Each year, I witness pumpkins being hollowed out, dressed up, and then discarded within a week. This year, I've discovered the ideal recipe to make good use of your pumpkin, creating the ultimate comforting winter soup.
But this isn't just any old pumpkin soup; this recipe incorporates a mix of spices to produce a rich, nutty, slightly spicy and sweet soup that will sustain you through the gloomy autumn days.
To ensure my pumpkin doesn't go to waste, the culinary experts at Good Food shared a recipe in their October magazine for a Curried Pumpkin Soup. Now, your pumpkin doesn't have to meet a sad, sorry fate in the bin.
I'm a fan of recipes that can be assembled in one pot, as it simplifies cooking and minimises mess. I chuck everything into a pot and let my hob do all the hard work.
The secret lies in three ingredients to create a delicious blend reminiscent of your Friday night curry. The spices required are turmeric, curry powder, and cumin seeds.
These are paired with the essential onion, garlic and ginger, the holy trinity of any decent curry-related dish. The real hard work comes from preparing the pumpkin, as it needs to be peeled and chopped.
Peeling a pumpkin can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, so if you're struggling, try slicing the skin off with a knife. Just be careful not to cut your fingers.
Adding the spices after the onions have softened and turned golden helps to infuse the flavour throughout the soup base. The aroma is the epitome of cosy winter nights snuggled under a blanket.
Let the soup simmer on the stove, but don't be deterred by the sight of pumpkin chunks bobbing in a strangely coloured liquid. Trust me, the end result is worth it.
The inclusion of double cream not only enhances the colour of the soup, but also adds a richness and creaminess that we associate with winter dishes. If you're concerned that your soup looks a bit thin, just let it stew for a bit longer.
With each spoonful, the spices tingle at the back of your throat and intensify with each bite - or slurp. There's also a tang from the Greek yoghurt, which might not be everyone's taste.
Yes, it's unmistakably pumpkin, but there's something indefinable about it. The spices make the pumpkin come alive (ideally to the tune of Thriller).
It's warm, it's hearty, it's everything you could want from a winter soup. It's genuinely one of the best ways to use up leftover pumpkin.
Honestly, you'll never need to bin your pumpkins again. So when you're tidying up your Jack O Lantern, consider transforming it into a soup.
Curried Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- Two tbsp neutral-tasting oil
- 30g unsalted butter
- One onion, finely chopped
- Two garlic cloves, crushed
- One thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
- Two tbsp medium curry powder
- One tsp ground turmeric
- One kg pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 5cm chunks
- Two tbsp tomato puree
- 1.1 litres vegetable stock
- 80ml double cream
To serve
- 60g unsalted butter
- Two tsp cumin seed
- Small handful of coriander, finely chopped, or leaves picked
- Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
Method
Warm the oil and butter in a large, sturdy pan over low-medium heat and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt for eight to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for two minutes.
Mix in the curry powder and turmeric, and cook for an additional minute. Pour in the pumpkin, tomato puree and stock, stir then bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook over a medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin can be easily pierced using the tip of a cutlery knife.
Take off the heat and blend the soup using a hand blender until smooth, then mix through the cream and season with salt.
For the topping, melt the butter in a pan over a low heat and fry the cumin seeds for two minutes until fragrant. Season with salt.
Pour the soup into bowls, then drizzle over the cumin butter and top with the coriander and yoghurt.
Once cool, the soup will keep for up to three months.