Pumpkin Soup

[notlob]

Has anyone got a nice EASY recipe for pumpkin soup, please?
I have aching arms, lots of pumpkin and no recipe.

Soften some chopped onion in butter, add chunks of pumpkin, cover in stock or water, simmer till the pumpkin is soft. Blend and season well, cream optional.

Pumpkin very bland so lots of seasoning is good.

This is what I would do, based on general experience of making soup. Peel the pumpkin with vegetable peeler. Remove seeds and fibres and cut into chunks. Cut up onion and garlic (eg one onion for small pumpkin, 2 onions for big pumpkin). In a big pan add 1-2 tablespoons of oil and fry onion and garlic until starting to go soft but not brown. Add pumpkin chunks and stirfry until starting to go soft. Add say 1 litre of vegetable stock (can use a stock cube if you don't have your own) and bring to boil. If you like add other chopped veg, eg 1-2 carrots, 1-2 potatoes. Leave it to cook for say 1/2 hour until all vegetable pieces are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Depending on what you like, add single cream, or basil, sage, oregano, thyme, coriander etc. If you are tired/ busy/ child does not mind lumps, then eat the soup like that. Otherwise, put it in a blender and liquidize it so that it has a nice smooth consistency. I have also learned a nice recipe from "Boxing Clever Cookbook": cut off top of pumpkin and remove seeds and fibres. Bake pumpkin and top in oven until cooked but retaining shape. Meanwhile peel, chop and boil potatoes and parsnips, and then mash them up with seasonings and cream. Put the mash inside the pumpkin, and then serve, scooping out pumpkin along with the mash for each person.

I have made 2 pumpkin soups recently - the one which included a potato was much better as it thickened up perfectly.

There are three different pumpkin soup recipes on Blue Witch's Blog this week that might meet the criteria...

This is VERY easy, but only good if you like spicy food. Recipe also works for squash.

Lightly fry pumpkin, onion and garlic in butter/oil, then add in garam masala, salt,pepper and chilli flakes (all to your taste). Fry for about 5 mins. Then cover and sweat for about 10 mins. Then add 1 litre of chicken stock and 500ml coconut milk. Let simmer for about 20-30 mins.

Liquidise it.

Sorry, I tend to cook by eye so a bit vague on quantities! This is delicious and you can adjust the heat very easily.

Anyone else find soup is always better reheated than when you eat it as soon as it's made?

I made a really nice pumpkin soup this week (is this boasting?!). Enough for 3/4:

roast pumpkin gas mark 6 40 minutes. I used whole baby pumpkin but you could do chunks and do it for 30 mins instead. It's easier if you do this bit in advance so it cools down - roast veges can last at least 24hrs.

bit of butter in the pan, 2 handfuls of diced onion (I buy it frozen to save on the tears but that about 1 onion), swish about for a couple of minutes on medium heat.

Add 2 roughly chopped large-ish carrots and 1 roughly chopped medium potato (peeled of course). give a shake to distribute the butter. cover with boiling water, throw in a stock cube (I use the low salt ones).

Put the lid on, simmer 20 mins. Meanwhile, scoop the pip bits out of the pumpkin and bin.

At the end of 20 mins, add the pumpkin minus the skin (it comes away really easily) to the veges, add suitable amount of milk/cream (even formula powder will do in a pinch!). Blend until still just a little lumpy.

My dh made us pumpkin soup last weekend (mega boast!) and it was also delicious. Stepdaughter made a fantastic pumpkin lantern and ds is now delighted and slightly obsessed with them.