Denise says:
This recipe produces a tasty smooth soup that is ideal for lunch, as a snack when the children come home from school or just to enjoy as part of a dinner party. Pumpkin is an extremely versatile vegetable – great baked, in risottos, roasted, stuffed, made into pies, or even used to make bread. Its vibrant orange colour indicates that it is abundant with beta carotene, an important antioxidant. (like carrots).
For an impressive buffet, serve the soup inside the pumpkin shell. Keep the top as a lid to ensure the soup stays warm. Removing the seeds and inner shell fibres from the inside of the pumpkin is a little time consuming but with the aid of a sharp knife and a good peeler it is not as difficult as you may think.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil – for frying2 tablespoons olive oil – for inside pumpkin shell
2 onions – peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks celery- sliced
2 carrots – peeled and roughly chopped
1 leek –trimmed and sliced lengthways
1 large whole pumpkin – to serve soup
Plus 750g flesh for soup – peeled and diced
75g plain flour
250ml orange juice
1 litre hot vegetable stock
2 tablespoons dried cinnamon
Bouquet garni made with sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 half sticks of celery
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1) Prepare the pumpkin. Trim off the top and retain as a lid. Carefully hollow out the flesh, discarding the fibres and seeds from the inside keeping the shape intact so that you can use it to serve your soup.2) Save 750g of pumpkin flesh and cut into cubes.
3) Heat a large saucepan with vegetable oil. Sauté the onions, cinnamon, leeks, pumpkin, carrots and celery for about 3 minutes until slightly softened.
4) Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
5) Add the stock and orange juice and bring to the boil.
6) Make the bouquet garni (mixed fresh herbs) by tying a piece of string around the bay leaves, thyme and celery sticks and add to soup. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7) Simmer for 35 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni.
8) Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F / Gas mark 4.
9) Brush the vegetable oil inside the pumpkin shell. Replace the lid on the top of the pumpkin. Place on a tray lined with non stick baking parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.
10) Liquidise the soup until smooth. Return to the saucepan, reheat and adjust seasoning accordingly.
To serve the stylish way: Pour the soup into the cooked pumpkin shell and serve immediately.