Autumn Comfort Food – Warm Spiced Pumpkin Soup

 I am a bit of a soup fanatic, in fact, I’m surprised I haven’t yet posted any soup recipes. Soup is a bit of a marmite kinda thing, you either love it, or it just seems like a big old sloppy mess. If you are a fan of soup, proper homemade soup is like the best thing in the world. With every spoonful you can literally taste the goodness, and you can feel secure knowing it contains no nasties (like a lot of the supermarket soups do, they are often packed with salt and sugar).

 As Autumn has arrived, and I want to feel oh so cosy, I decided to have a stab at pumpkin soup. I have never cooked with pumpkin before in my life. Plus it only seems to be in the supermarkets at one time of year. After making pumpkin soup, I really want to attempt pumpkin pie (although baking really isn’t my thing).

This is a soothing soup that tastes like Autumn in a bowl. It’s quite a mellow soup, but you can spice it up a little depending on your preferences. I prefer it with a slight kick to add to the cosyness, and also because pumpkin on its own is a little bland.

With this soup you have to let it simmer, for hours. The best soups have been brewing for ages, allowing the flavours to really sink into the ingredients. I was in a bit of a rush and was pretty darn hungry when I made it yesterday, and didn’t cook it for very long. I wasn’t that pleased with the results but then I reheated it today (after the flavours soaking in overnight) and it was soooo tasty.

Instead of using all your pumpkins for Halloween accessories, use them for some delicious home cooking this year. Here is my spiced pumpkin soup recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin

• 1 butternut squash

• Chicken or vegetable stock cube

• 1 fresh chilli

• Pumpkin seeds (cooked and packaged, NOT from the pumpkin)

• Four shallot onions

• Double cream

• Chopped ginger

• A dash of cinnamon

• A sprinkle of tumeric

• A sprinkle of nutmeg

• Curry powder (optional, depending on whether you prefer a stronger taste)

• Salt

• Pepper

Method

1. Cut up the pumpkin into small cubes.

2. Cut up the butternut squash into small cubes.

3. Peel and slice onions.

4. Chop up some fresh ginger into tiny little pieces, you only need a small amount.

5. Chop up the fresh pepper.

6. Add ingredients to boiling water.

7. Add spices to taste.

8. When ingredients are soft, add double cream (how much you add depends on how creamy uou like your soup).

9. Leave to simmer for a few hours if possible.

10. Add salt and pepper to taste.

11. Lightly fry the pumpkin seeds until they are crisp.

12. Add soup to bowl and sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds on top. Et voila! Warm soupy bliss…

Main image courtesy of 101cookbooks.com