Cookbook Challenge: Week 25, Silky
Recipe: Pumpkin soup with a twist
From: Neil Perry’s Good Food
The theme for week 25 of the Cookbook Challenge is “silky”. I had a number of things in mind for this week.
I ended up doing a lot of cooking this weekend – egg fu yung, chicken stock, waffles with poached pears, ox cheek stew, and two different types of dumplings (which will be unveiled on Wednesday) so unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of energy to devote to the Cookbook Challenge. I had intended to make a tart with a curd filling, but couldn’t be bothered going up the road to get cream! Also I hate buying cream because I tend to only use half the container and the rest is wasted.
And then last night it hit me. Soup! A nice pureed soup can be smooth and silky. I had a large pumpkin that I needed to cook so pumpkin soup it was.
I have made pumpkin soup a zillion times before, and I never follow a recipe. But for the purposes of the Cookbook Challenge, I found a recipe and followed the directions exactly. Wow! That is rather rare for me, unless I’m baking. The recipe I selected was called pumpkin soup with a twist – with the twist being the addition of ginger, ground coriander and ground turmeric.
When I make pumpkin soup, I normally add a touch of curry powder because I love the slight spiciness with the sweetness of the pumpkin. So this version was okay, the spices give a touch of difference from normal pumpkin soup – but I prefer my usual version! Still, it was relatively quick to whip up for this week’s Challenge and worth a shot if you don’t already have a favourite recipe for pumpkin soup.
See previous Cookbook Challenge posts here.
Update: see the round up at My Food Trail.
Pumpkin soup with a twist
From Neil Perry’s Good Food
Serves 4
1kg peeled butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm thick pieces
30g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 litre chicken stock
freshly ground pepper
creme fraiche to serve (optional)
In a large heavy based pot, heat the butter and oil over a medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger and a bit of sea salt and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. Don’t let it colour.
Stir in the coriander and turmeric and cook for another minute.
Add the stock and pumpkin to the pot and bring to the boil. Turn it down to a simmer and let it cook gently for about 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft.
Remove from the heat and puree the soup until smooth – I use a stick blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the soup with a dollop of creme fraiche, some freshly ground pepper and a splash of oil. I just laid on a parsley leaf for garnish.
mademoiselle dΓ©licieuse
May 9, 2010 @ 10:40 pm
Nice! A pumpkin soup that doesn't involve lots of cream added.
Conor @ HoldtheBeef
May 9, 2010 @ 10:55 pm
I guess the twist was for people who are ordinarily straight π
Emma @CakeMistress
May 10, 2010 @ 1:54 am
Ooh, heading into perfect time of the year for pumpkin soup too! Your pictures are fantastic by the way π
Hannah
May 10, 2010 @ 1:53 pm
Sometimes you need to try new recipes just so you can be sure your tried-and-trusted ones are still, well, the tried-and-trusted. π Must say I love a good spiced pumpkin soup, though!
downunderdale
May 10, 2010 @ 5:48 pm
looks good – just needs a touch of chillie I reckon
love pumpkin soup – good winter fare
Anh
May 11, 2010 @ 10:04 am
Silky indeed! I love the look of this soup. So perfect for autumn season!
Agnes
May 11, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
mademoiselle: I never add cream to pumpkin soup because I love the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. And also because like I said in the post, I hate buying cream. π
Conor: Hehee, maybe! It's not much of a twist though, is it?
Emma: The temperature has suddenly dropped hasn't it – brrr! I had soup for lunch today and it was SO GOOD!
Hannah: I think a nice spiced pumpkin soup is one of my favourite soups of all time!
Dale: Winter has definitely arrived here – not sure about out your way though!
Anh: I'm so glad I thought of doing soup for the challenge – it was so easy!
Phoenix Medical Malpractice
May 12, 2010 @ 4:08 am
This looks excellent. Thanks for sharing your recipe. The soup seems a lot healthier and the presentation is great.
M.
May 12, 2010 @ 2:36 pm
beautiful soup….I just love the color…
OohLookBel
May 12, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
Your soup looks gorgeous – love the presentation and the leaf on top.
Maria@TheGourmetChallenge
May 13, 2010 @ 9:43 pm
hhhhmmmm this sounds interesting. Must say I usually have my pumkin straight and boring…..the ginger does sound appealing.
Agnes
May 20, 2010 @ 10:39 pm
Phoenix Medical Malpractice: it's definitely a very healthy soup π
M: Thanks! I think the vibrant colour is one of the best things about pumpkin soup!
Bel: Hehee, I just had parsley in the fridge so decided to throw it on π
Maria: Boring old pumpkin soup?! You need to break out and do something wild! π