Pumpkin Soup
Recipe for spicy pumpkin soup with sweet cinnamon croutons. :)
Ingredients:
Soup
160g chopped onion
50g butter
2 tins of chicken broth
400g mashed/puréed pumpkin
teaspoon of salt
teaspoon of ground cinnamon
teaspoon of ground ginger
235 ml double cream (heavy whipping cream)
Croutons
50g butter
15g brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
Several slices of bread
Pre-heat the oven to 200oC (400oF).
First, the pumpkin.
Chop about quarter of your pumpkin into small chunks, like so...
... and weigh out about 450-500 grams.
You'll need to weigh out more than the 400g at this stage because the skin will be making up some of that weight and we're going to be getting rid of the skin later.
Once you've got enough, place each piece in a baking tray, skin-side-down, and add 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Cover the tray with tin foil, making sure it's tightly sealed so no steam can escape. If it's not sealed properly and the moisture escapes, the pumpkin is going to shrivel and lose a lot of its weight.
Place the tray in the oven and leave it for an hour.
When the hour is up, take the tray out and remove the foil. BE CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS!!! The steam trapped under the foil it going to be HOT. It's likely to burn your fingers clean off your hands. *looks at poor, burnt fingers* :(
The pumpkin should now be done.
slide a sharp knife into one of the chunks to check.
If it slides in easily and is met with hardly any resistance, the pumpkin is ready. Leave it to cool for several minutes, lest you burn yourself again >:0. Once it's cool enough to handle, slice the skin away from each chunk of flesh. It should be very easy after the steaming.
Drop each chunk into a bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher or... some other mashing implement.
Before:
After:
Leave that aside while you get your croutons ready.
Cream 50g of butter...
Add 15g brown sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon...
Mix to combine, then spread evenly over your 4 slices of bread.
I made six because I may or may not have decided to eat two whist cooking >.>
Put the bread on a baking tray and stick them in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 200oC (400oF). Once they're done, take them out and put them to one side to cool while you get on with the soup.
Throw 50g of butter into a saucepan and melt over a low/medium heat.
Chop and weigh out 160g of onion and add to the butter.
Sauté the onion in the butter for about 5 minutes, until tender, then add the first tin of chicken broth.
NOTE: You want smooth chicken broth with no veggies in it. I could only find the one with veggies, so I put the broth through a strainer to get rid of them. Easy. :D
Stir briefly, then pour the broth/onion/butter mixture into a food processor/liquidiser, and blitz until smooth and bit-free.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring well. Once it has reached a rolling boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
Once the 15 minutes is up, add the second can of chicken broth, the mashed pumpkin, salt, cinnamon and ginger...
Mix it all in and once again bring to the boil. As soon as it's boiling, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the 10 minutes is up, add the 235ml of cream.
Stir until fully combined, making sure NOT to boil.
Then simply ladle into serving bowls, cut the bread into mini triangles and throw a couple of them on top.
OM NOM NOM!!!!
Ingredients:
Soup
Croutons
Pre-heat the oven to 200oC (400oF).
First, the pumpkin.
Chop about quarter of your pumpkin into small chunks, like so...
... and weigh out about 450-500 grams.
You'll need to weigh out more than the 400g at this stage because the skin will be making up some of that weight and we're going to be getting rid of the skin later.
Once you've got enough, place each piece in a baking tray, skin-side-down, and add 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Cover the tray with tin foil, making sure it's tightly sealed so no steam can escape. If it's not sealed properly and the moisture escapes, the pumpkin is going to shrivel and lose a lot of its weight.
Place the tray in the oven and leave it for an hour.
When the hour is up, take the tray out and remove the foil. BE CAREFUL WHEN DOING THIS!!! The steam trapped under the foil it going to be HOT. It's likely to burn your fingers clean off your hands. *looks at poor, burnt fingers* :(
The pumpkin should now be done.
slide a sharp knife into one of the chunks to check.
If it slides in easily and is met with hardly any resistance, the pumpkin is ready. Leave it to cool for several minutes, lest you burn yourself again >:0. Once it's cool enough to handle, slice the skin away from each chunk of flesh. It should be very easy after the steaming.
Drop each chunk into a bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher or... some other mashing implement.
Before:
After:
Leave that aside while you get your croutons ready.
Cream 50g of butter...
Add 15g brown sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon...
Mix to combine, then spread evenly over your 4 slices of bread.
I made six because I may or may not have decided to eat two whist cooking >.>
Put the bread on a baking tray and stick them in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 200oC (400oF). Once they're done, take them out and put them to one side to cool while you get on with the soup.
Throw 50g of butter into a saucepan and melt over a low/medium heat.
Chop and weigh out 160g of onion and add to the butter.
Sauté the onion in the butter for about 5 minutes, until tender, then add the first tin of chicken broth.
NOTE: You want smooth chicken broth with no veggies in it. I could only find the one with veggies, so I put the broth through a strainer to get rid of them. Easy. :D
Stir briefly, then pour the broth/onion/butter mixture into a food processor/liquidiser, and blitz until smooth and bit-free.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring well. Once it has reached a rolling boil, reduce the heat, cover the pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
Once the 15 minutes is up, add the second can of chicken broth, the mashed pumpkin, salt, cinnamon and ginger...
Mix it all in and once again bring to the boil. As soon as it's boiling, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the 10 minutes is up, add the 235ml of cream.
Stir until fully combined, making sure NOT to boil.
Then simply ladle into serving bowls, cut the bread into mini triangles and throw a couple of them on top.
OM NOM NOM!!!!