One of my favourite things that this time of year brings is soup season. We eat a lot of soup in our house all year round but at this time of year things really step up a notch and right now it is pumpkin harvest time in our garden. I've never really been a fan of pumpkin roasted or otherwise, but silky smooth, sweet pumpkin soup is another thing entirely. In the past I've avoided it for the labour intensive work of peeling the darn thing before roasting it. Those Queensland Blues may keep well but that deeply grooved shape is a nightmare. I now use butternuts or Kents. I then moved onto roasting pumpkin pieces with the skin on but really the work involved in then peeling the skin off is just as dull. And then I discovered a pumpkin secret, which I'm sure you're all probably going to laugh at when you hear it because you've been doing it for ages...why didn't anyone let me in on this piece of pumpkin roasting wisdom?
Simply slice the whole pumpkin in half across it's middle
Scoop out the seeds and save for delicious, roasted pepitas
Fill the pumpkin's middle with herbs of your choice, garlic, seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil
Roast at 180oC until tender
Then simply scoop out the flesh and sticky, sweet, garlic...it is now ready for the pot. No peeling or chopping required. I'm on a mission now to spread the word.
We then add enough stock to cover the pumpkin. Heat through and add coconut cream to taste, or you could add cream if you prefer. Blend until silky smooth and serve
Enjoy in the Autumn sunshine with some crusty Dutch oven bread.
Happy soup season to you
Cxo
