Show Archive
Tuesday 13th October 2020.
October 13, 2020
It is Feisty Foodie day today, yes, Tuesday. Sara up there in Canada is getting ready for Halloween and today we work with the pumpkin, making Pumpkin Soup and a treat with the seeds.
Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 x 2 lb calabaza squash or sugar pumpkin (small pumpkin squash or butternut)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- Kosher Salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (add more, if you like spice)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk or heavy cream
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Slice squash in quarters, scoop out the seeds- Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place cut sides down onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes (or longer), until the flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin.
- Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
- While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool.
- Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot or use a stand blender, which yields the creamiest results—working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). Securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. Transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.
- Taste and adjust if necessary (add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it a little sweeter or a touch more cayenne for more heat.
- Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. You could also garnish with a little bit of heavy cream for contrast and a touch of extra creaminess.
Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
Tips: Try adding a little bit of curry powder to add another flavor profile! Note: Reduce the amount of maple syrup to make this soup Keto friendly!
Roasted Pumpkin seeds (Jack-o-lantern pumpkin)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with some cooking spray.
Scoop out the seeds from your pumpkin and wash very well with cool water in a colander, making sure to pick off all the little hairs. Lay on paper towel and dry off well. You can even leave them out to dry overnight, wet seeds won’t roast well!
Get a bowl and toss clean dry seeds in a bit of olive oil, garlic powder, paprika and kosher salt until coated. Bake for 25-30 minutes, serve warm and enjoy!
Tip: They also make a great garnish in soups, salads or are a great snack!