Pumpkin soup

Finally, the first batch of pumpkins is out in Belgium! Also, the weather here is quite unpredictable, swinging between hot and cold. But I can’t stop thinking about anything other than my specialty pumpkin soup! You’ll soon find out why it’s so special because it’s not just pumpkin and broth.

During the Pairidaiza dinner (You can have a look in Food Travel, I wrote the whole experience there), I heard someone mention an amuse-bouche featuring potimarron soup. I initially thought they had misspoken, perhaps due to speaking quickly and trying to leave in a hurry. In French, pumpkin is called ‘citrouille,’ while in Belgium, they use the term ‘potiron.’ I was curious about the discrepancy, wondering how he could be wrong, especially if they serve this dish every night! After Googling it, I discovered that potimarron is indeed a type of pumpkin, similar to how butternut is also a type of pumpkin, it just having a different name.

Tips:

• Use half of the pumpkin (of your choice) to oven bake it in order to bring out its sweetness, and boil the other half. This way, you’ll have a sweet soup that retains its soupy consistency.
• This soup recipe is quite thick, so if you prefer it to be lighter and more soupy, add 1/3 more water to the pot before mixing it at the end. This will help preserve the soup’s flavors. If it still seems too thick after mixing, you can use broth instead of water to maintain the flavor. Heat it on the stove until the broth blends in well.
• In this recipe, I used two different types of pumpkin, but feel free to use just one kind.

Pumpkin soup

Difficulty:BeginnerTotal time:1 hour 30 minutesServings:8 servings Best Season:Fall

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin (potimarron)
• 1 small butternut squash
• 150 g sherry tomatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 Orange
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth/or 2 cubes of vegetables bouillon
• Salt and pepper
• Thymes, bay leaf, oregano and paprika
• 20 cl heavy cream (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C
2. Prepare the ingredients: Cut the pumpkin and butternut squash into 4 pieces (the upper part of the butternut will need to be peeled for the soup). Scoop out the seeds and place the halves on a baking sheet, cut side up.
   
3. Cut the onion and tomatoes, then put them in the same oven dish with the pumpkin. Drizzle the olive oil over the ingredients. Season it with herbs, salt, and pepper.
4. Roasted: Roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until the flesh is soft and easily pierced with a fork.
5. While waiting for the half of the pumpkin is roasted: In a large pot, heat some olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent and fragrant.
6. Add the other half batch of pumpkin and butternut squash flesh to the pot and stir to combine with the onions and garlic.
7. Pour in the vegetable broth or water with bouillon cubes and add the Orqnge Juice, Thymes, bay leaf, oregano and paprika. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and let it cook for about 20-30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together.
   
8. Once roasted, remove the pumpkin and butternut squash from the oven. Then, scoop out the flesh and add the roasted pumpkin, onion, tomatoes and butternut squash flesh to the pot and stir to combine. let it cook for about 10-15 minutes.
9. Blend the soup: Using an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches), puree the soup until it reaches a smooth consistency. Be careful when blending hot liquids. (If you desire a creamier soup, stir in the heavy cream at this stage and simmer for a few more minutes.)
10. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, or spices as needed.
    Serve the pumpkin and butternut squash soup hot, garnished with cream and fresh thymes if desired.

Keywords:butternut, cream, European food, petitmarron, potiron, Pumpkin, soup, tomatoes