12 September 2014

Pumpkin cream soup

New season, old good pumpkin cream soup. At the times, when the sun is still shining and the leaves are not falling down you understand one day, that you want to cheer yourself up with something warm and tasty. Hello September! 

The main autumn vegetable is, of course, pumpkin. It can be cooked in different ways - baked, steamed, roasted.... With its mild and creamy taste pumpkin soup is anyway one of the best choices. It is low in calories and high in fiber. The seeds are a good source of protein, iron and B vitamins. Pumpkin is perfectly digested and is used as a perfect dish in a healthy lifestyle as well as in the children's menu.

So let's do it! You will need
2 kg Hokkaido pumpkin
1 onion
3 l water
basil, oregano
pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds' oil
1 cup whipped cream - if you want to have extra-creamy texture

I've chosen Hokkaido pumpkin. It can be cooked without peeling and the time is money as you know ;) But if you can't buy this sort of pumpkin, take any other that you like. Wash it carefully and halve the pumpkin lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut into chunks. Place them into a pot, add one peeled onion and water until its covered. Boil for about 30-40 minutes.  Sure, you can boil the whole pumpkin with a whole onion. But then you will have to halve it afterwards to take out the seeds.

Tip: The other possibility is to bake the pumpkin and onion in the oven at 180C for about 40 minutes until soft.

When the vegetables are soft blend them with a stick blender until they are smooth and creamy. Leave the water aside. Add it to make your soup more liquid.
If you're a fan of creamier texture this is the time to add whipped cream and mix it thoroughly.
Spice your soup with some salt and pepper. Add basil and oregano as well. I used pumpkin seeds' oil and some pumpkin seeds to serve. Tastes so mild. Even my nephew ate it with a big pleasure.


Bon Appetit, my dear food-lovers!