pumpkin soup + sweet & spicy seeds

This is part 2 of my pumpkin post from yesterday. What you missed the pumpkin risotto with arugula? Click on the link to backtrack to the past.

With the rest of the pumpkin (I had a little over half left), I decided to make a pumpkin soup. Combining aromatic spices, a little fresh ginger and pumpkin gives you a sweet, nutty and slightly spicy soup that provides a delicate warmth for the cool, fall breeze. Some may find the ginger odd but it actually adds a really nice flavor to the pumpkin - as long as you don't overpower it.

I didn't use any heavy cream for the soup - mainly because I didn't have any when I made it - but it really does add a nice creamy, velvety texture. Creme fraiche would work extremely well also. To make it a tad thicker without using the cream (because I know for a fact some of you would ask to omit the cream had I used it), when pureeing, take some of the liquid out and adjust to your desired consistency. Serve the soup alongside some rustic, toasted bread (in my case a sourdough boule from Luna Bakery) and it'll be happy days.

Everyone's in a tight pinch nowadays and that means leaving no waste. Don't throw away those amazing seeds while cleaning your pumpkin. Boil, season and toast them in the oven to snack on them later on. Seeds are high in protein, healthy fats, iron and magnesium. A great alternative source as a snack. You can even eat the shells if you want to!

Pumpkin Soup

Original

Ingredients:

- 1 onion, rough dice

- 3 cloves of garlic, rough chop

- 1 to 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

- Approximately 2lbs of pumpkin (800-900g)

- 0.5 to 1 inch knob fresh ginger, rough dice

- 0.5 teaspoon cumin

- 1 teaspoon paprika

- 0.25 teaspoon cayenne

- 4 cups chicken stock

1) In a hot stock pot, add olive oil and sweat down the garlic, ginger and onions until the onions have become translucent. About 5 minutes.

2) Add the butter and once the butter has melted, add in your pumpkin. Cook the pumpkin with the garlic, ginger and onions until the pumpkins become tender.

3) Once the pumpkins are soft, add in the cumin, paprika, cayenne and a touch of salt/pepper. Cook the spices with the vegetables for another minute to deepen those flavors.

4) Add in the chicken stock and bring back up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook the mixture until the pumpkins are cooked all the way through.

5) Blend the pumpkins in a blender or with a stick mixer. It's important to do this while the mixture is warm. If the mixture is blended after it cools down, it'll become lumpy and give the soup an awful texture.

* Reserve some of the cooking liquid and adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking. You may find that the soup is too thin if all of the liquid is mixed. You can always add but you can never take away.

6) Serve warm with a slice of toasted bread. Garnish with fresh herbs and cream if desired.

Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Original

Ingredients:

- pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin

- 0.25 cup brown sugar

- 0.5 teaspoon cumin

- 1 teaspoon paprika

- 0.5 teaspoon cayenne

1) Boil the pumpkin seeds for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and drain the pumpkin seeds after 10 minutes.

2) Combine the sugar and spices and mix with the pumpkin seeds while warm. The heat from the pumpkin seeds will help melt the sugar and combine all the spices together. Feel free to add a little knob of butter here.

3) Toast for 10 - 20 minutes until roasted. Stir the pumpkin seeds halfway through for even roasting.