Karens Easy Pumpkin Soup

Being as it’s almost Halloween I thought I’d post a recipe that included Pumpkin, so that readers can make good use of the left-over pumpkin pieces after making Pumpkin Lanterns….. So this is my recipe for Pumpkin Soup. I hope you like it, I think it’s delicious and it’s one of my family’s favorites too.

This recipe will easily make up enough soup for a family of 4+, and any excess soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days or even frozen. I normally use the whole pumpkin, so if you are also making pumpkin lanterns you’ll need more than one pumpkin ….. (or make a smaller amount of soup)

PS: We’ll get a photo taken of the soup when I next make it, but I wanted to get the recipe online quickly before Halloween, and so you’ll just have to trust me that it looks as nice as it tastes!

Ingredients

• 

  1 Large Pumpkin (or 2-3 pumpkins if you only have a portion of each pumpkin core to use) – Center / Core Only;  washed and cut into even-sized pieces (approx 1 inch in size is good, but any size will do. Large pieces will take longer to cook).

• 2 Large Potatoes; Peeled and cut into small cubes
• 3 or 4 Large Onions; Diced
• 3 Massell Low Salt Vegetable Stock Cubes (or a similar, high-quality vegetarian-safe product)
• 2 or 3 Large cloves of Fresh Garlic; chopped or pressed finely
• Olive Oil for frying
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Water (the quantity of water can vary slightly depending on the pumpkin used)
• Fresh Cream (Optional)
• Fresh Chives for decoration (Optional)

• Serve up with: Croutons or Warm Crusty Bread

Instructions

1. Par-Cook the pumpkin pieces (either in the microwave in a covered dish, or steamed, or for a slight but wonderful taste variation you could even roast them slowly in the oven….). Cook them just until they are par cooked – you should be able to pierce them with a sharp knife, but they should not be too soft or mushy. Whilst the pumpkin is cooking, go on to the next step.
2. Heat up the oil in a large Saucepan, and when hot enough add the onion and then fry, stirring almost continuously, until it is soft and just beginning to caramelize (turn golden brown).
3. Add the potato and stir for a few minutes.
4. Add the Garlic, stir for a minute then remove from heat immediately. Take care to not burn the garlic or it may turn bitter.
5. Add the par-cooked Pumpkin pieces to the saucepan, and stir.
6. Add the stock cubes and Salt and Pepper to taste. Stir.
   (TIP: Go easy on the salt! – you can always add more later on. If you are not using a low-salt stock cube: do not add ANY salt until the end or it may be far too salty…)
7. Return the saucepan to the heat and stir the mixture for a minute or two, to infuse the flavors.
8. Add the water, stir, bring to boil then simmer gently over a low heat until cooked and all the vegetables become “mushy” when pressed with a spoon.  (You need enough water to cover the pumpkin mixture – if you later find that it is too thick you can add more water then. When served, the finished pumpkin soup should be reasonably THICK).
   TIP: If you do add too much water by mistake, you can thicken it up again by adding a little powdered instant potato mix….
9. Blend the mixture until smooth. I prefer to use a stick blender, which can be used straight in the saucepan and purees the soup within minutes, but if you don’t have a stick blender you could do it in batches in a food processor.
10. Serve up with a (optional) swirl of cream & some chopped chives for decoration, and croutons or warm crusty bread.

Enjoy!