When it comes to winter cooking it doesn’t get much easier than a good old country pumpkin soup. You really only need three or four ingredients and with roughly 15 minutes of prep time with 40-60 minutes of cooking where you can go and watch TV or read your favorite book, you will have an end result of a well made pumpkin soup that is something that you and your family can enjoy on a cold afternoon or evening.
Making pumpkin soup has its simplicities, you really just need to chop an onion and maybe some garlic, gently fry until translucent and lightly golden then add spices, stock and pumpkin, cover the pot, walk away and leave to cook until the pumpkin is tender, then simply blend to a smooth consistency with an electric hand blender or in a food processor.
There are some rules that you should follow to some extent however when it comes to making a delicious pumpkin soup, because if you get these down pat you will make the best pumpkin soup every single time.
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#1. It Lives or Dies With The Pumpkin
The difference between a pumpkin soup that is out of this world and one that is easy to walk away from, comes down to the pumpkin itself. Although this seems fairly obvious, it is important to be aware that it’s actually almost completely impossible to improve on a pumpkin soup and make it enjoyable, when the pumpkin itself has let you down.
There are many pumpkins that you can use for pumpkin soup and different varieties will produce different textures. When buying a pumpkin that is watery such as Queensland blue, or butternut you will need to make sure that you use minimal stock as a lot of water will leach from the pumpkin and you don’t want to have a watery soup.
The best pumpkin to use for pumpkin soup is a starchy pumpkin such as the Japanese pumpkin (Kabocha), always try to get a starchy pumpkin for pumpkin soup. More stock/water is needed than if you used a watery pumpkin and they will give you the best results for a soup full of pumpkin flavor and creamy texture.
#2. Make it Golden
Cooking your onions, like many meals, makes a world of difference in flavor than if you where to make the same meal without any onions. Ensure that when you make your pumpkin soup you cook your onions nice and slow, have them turn translucent with a nice golden brown color before you add your other ingredients.
#3. Stock Vs Water
Although you can cook pumpkin in water and add salt and pepper to season, your best bet is to use stock; vegetable or chicken.
Although pumpkin is still going to be the ingredient that makes or breaks a pumpkin soup, the extra flavor from stock over ‘salty water’ will definitely highlight and bring out flavors that will enhance the result of your soup every time.
#4. Spice it a Little
When using spices be careful as you really don’t need to use that many, using only a small amount of spices can make a big difference. The best ones to use are paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander and bay leaves. If you’re cooking a simple pumpkin soup with the endeavour of the pumpkin flavor really coming through then make sure that you’re skimpy on the spices. However, if your focus is on creating a pumpkin soup that highlights spices as well with a slightly curry flavor or Asian touch, add more in volume and a few more varieties.
Adding whole bay leaves during the cooking process is a personal favorite, you simply need to add 3-4 before putting the lid on the pot. Just make sure to remove them before you blend the soup into a smooth consistency.
#5. If You Can Fix It – Coconut Cream It
Depending on the pumpkin soup that you’re making and the flavor that comes out near the end, if you find it a little bit bland add coconut cream. Coconut cream seems to do the trick when it comes to fixing up a pumpkin soup when there is still a chance of saving it.
If you find that your pumpkin soup is too watery it’s best to remove a lot of the water content before adding the coconut cream so that you still have a nice creamy pumpkin soup. The last thing you want is a watery pumpkin soup, so removing (and losing) some of the infused stock and flavoring is definitely worth it at the end.
Once you have cooked the pumpkin for a good 40-60 minutes (so the pumpkin is really tender) it’s now time to finish it off. Make sure to remove any large spices and bay leaves before using a hand blender to create a very smooth consistency. Add extra stock, water, or coconut cream as needed to get the consistency that you like, then season as needed.
#6 Adding Sides
A great addition to pumpkin soup is some crispy prosciutto on top or served on the side. Some chopped fresh parsley with toasted pumpkin seeds is also a nice addition to sprinkle on top. Many people enjoy some dukka sprinkled on top when the pumpkin soup holds more Asian style flavors.
To start flexing your pumpkin soup skills, try this “Pumpkin and Turmeric Soup” recipe. [author_bio name=”yes” avatar=”yes”]
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