Pumpkin Soups

Before we went travelling, a lovely man gave me a humongous pumpkin which sat patiently waiting for us to return. I have made a couple of soups and I've still got loads left. First is a creamy and tangy favourite and the other, Seedy Pumpkin, I threw together many years ago. It's one of those recipes that jiggles around a central idea - in this case pumpkin and seeds.

Thai-style pumpkin and coconut cream soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
4 brown shallots, finely sliced
60g fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp chopped lemongrass (white part only)
good pinch chilli powder
6 cups peeled and diced butternut pumpkin
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 270ml can coconut cream
11/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
splash fish sauce (I add at least 2 Tbsp)
juice of 1 lime
1-2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
Optional
coriander leaves
roasted, chopped macadamia nuts
Serves 5-6

Method
Place olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.
Add shallots, ginger, lemongrass and chilli powder and cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft and translucent.
Add pumpkin and stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently until the pumpkin is very tender.
Puree the soup. I use a stick blender – be careful of the splashes! Or you can pop it in a blender in small batches.
Add coconut cream, season with salt, pepper and fish sauce, and heat through without allowing soup to boil. Adjust seasoning, then add lime juice and finely shredded kaffir lime leaves.
To serve:  just as is or garnish with shredded lime leaves, coriander and macadamias.

Chook's note:  You can substitute fresh chili but be careful not to spoil the delicate flavor of the pumpkin, the ginger will add a certain amount of heat.
Don’t overdo the lime leaves. Some can be quite strong and you risk overpowering the delicate flavor of this creamy soup.
If like me you shred and freeze lime leave when they are available, add 1-2 Tbsp to the soup)
If you prefer a less creamy soup use coconut milk but get a good brand.
Fish sauce! We have developed quite a ‘thing’ for fish sauce. Ghastly smell in the bottle but an amazing flavor enhancer.  We usually add it slowly a few tsp at a time. You’ll find individual flavours, such as the lemon grass, are heightened the more you add BUT there is a limit! Be careful to STOP BEFORE you start tasting the fish sauce. It’s a fine balance!

Seedy pumpkin soup

Ingredients
1-2 Tbsp butter and/or oil
1-2 Tbsp of the following to taste
Mung beans (if available)
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seed
Caraway seeds
Mint and tarragon – dried or fresh (don’t overdo it)
3-4 spring onions or 1 leek - sliced
Pumpkin 6 cups chopped
2 -3 cups stock – depends on the type of pumpkin
Salt and white pepper to taste
'Splash' of fish sauce to enhance if needed

Method
Heat the oil and butter and brown the seeds and beans. Add the onion or leek and saute till soft and aromatic. Add the pumpkin and stock and bring to the boil.  Add the herbs.
When the pumpkin is soft, blend and mash leaving some texture for mouth feel. Adjust seasoning and, if you have it, add fish sauce cautiously to taste.  Add a little sour cream or crème fraiche if you like a creamier soup.

Chook's note: This is a fairly forgiving recipe but remember not to overpower the delicate flavor of the pumpkin.  It’s one of my ‘make it up as you go’ recipes written on a scrap of paper at some point in its history so the quantities are not necessarily balanced. Just taste as you go. 
Be creative and add ingredients that appeal to you. 

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