Spiced Pumpkin Soup

June 8, 2004

The packet declared that the pouch contained two servings of mushroom and blue cheese soup and it looked pretty inviting through the clear parts of the plastic so The Spouse and I bought a fancy savoury loaf of bread from the supermarket bakery and popped it in the oven at home while the soup heated.

I have to say the bread was the best part of the meal. The soup came out of the pack in cluggy splodges and the texture didn't improve with heating. As for the taste - I'm not sure how much blue cheese or how many mushrooms were used in the soup's preparation, but neither left much evidence behind.

It's disappointing when convenience foods turn out to be convenient but little else. I have had good commercially prepared soup but there's really no substitute for making your own.

Soups can be filling without impacting too heavily on the day's energy intake, even when served with a couple of slices of toast with margarine. If you make your own, you have control over how much fat you use. Soups are handy for using up the odd leftovers in the vegetable crisper - the last couple of florets from the broccoli head that was too large for yesterday's meal, the remaining celery stick. A good selection of vegetables will provide nutrients without excess calories and fat.

If you want to up your fibre intake there are legumes and vegetables that will supply this, plus you can use whole grain bread.

While we were shopping I bought a buttercup pumpkin and decided to make a pot of soup for the chilly weekend.

A floury pumpkin is better than a waxy one when it comes to soup if you want a nice smooth end product.

This is a quick, uncomplicated recipe in its most basic form. Or you can add a couple of extra touches to give it a more luxurious appeal. If you're not too worried about the calories, you can stir in some cream before serving - just don't let the soup boil after the cream is stirred in. If you have a real meat stock, that will contribute extra depth of flavour. Otherwise you can use stock powder or even just salt.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon crushed ginger (push fresh ginger through a garlic crusher)
4-6 cups peeled chopped pumpkin
water or stock
1 teaspoon each ground coriander, ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

saute the onions in the butter or oil until soft and tender. Do not allow to brown - stir from time to time which cooking.

Remove the seeds and skin from the pumpkin and chop into pieces. If you chop the pumpkin into manageable pieces, the skin can be removed easily with a sharp cook's knife.

Add the pumpkin to the onion with the ginger and spices and pour over sufficient water or stock to just cover.

Bring to the boil, turn back the heat, cover and simmer until the pumpkin is tender. Puree using a blender, food processor or wand style blender. I find the latter is quickest and does a good job. Goblet blender can sometimes pop their lids, redecorating the kitchen with hot soup (voice of experience).

Reheat and serve. We like to cut long diagonal slices of sourdough or Italian bread, brush them lightly with a little oil, sprinkle some finely grated parmesan on the top and toast in a ridged sandwich machine - the sort used for toasting paninis.