Light Up Your Mood With a Light Pumpkin Soup

Everything written here comes from my blog    http://butterfingered-chef.blogspot.com/


Hi ! Having a weird day ? You don't know what you feel like eating ? It's grey outside and the melancholic rhythm of the rain is driving you into depression ? I know what can help you !


Pumpkin Soup !
It's really light, very healthy and even it's colour will make you feel much better. Shut the drapes, turn the lights on, put some good music on and start cooking !



Ingredients :

For the soup :

- Parsley (1 Big one or 2 small ones)
- 3 Carrots
- 3 Small Onions (1 big one)
- 3 Red Peppers
- Olive Oil
- Ground Pepper
- 2 Big Potatoes
- 3 Pieces of Pumpkin (Like the ones shown on a photo)
- Ground Nutmeg
- Salt

For crouton :

- Brown Bread (of course it doesn't have to be the brown bread but I think it is the best for this soup)
- Butter (Depending on the amount of crouton you're making)
- Garlic (Depends on the amount of butter)

For serving :

Apart from crouton you can use sliced almonds, cream cheese (or just cream) and basil.


First, wash all the vegetables.

Then peel parsley and carrots. Cut of the ends (they're usually bitter).

Chop those carrots and parsley. You don't have to chop them in tiny pieces. Everything is going to be mashed up at the end anyway. The pieces have to be thin enough to soften easily when cooked.

To prepare peppers you have to cut of the top part. This way it's going to be easier to remove the seeds.

Cut the "arms" of the "seed nest".  Now it's going to be easy to just pull out the seeds without much of them falling inside the pepper.

Cut the pepper into four pieces and remove all the white bits then chop to approximately 1cm x 1cm pieces.

Peel the onion and chop into similar pieces as the pepper.

Peel and cut the potatoes. 

Fun part ! We're taking the alien out of the pumpkin. With a spoon scrape out the seeds and the flesh of the pumpkin.

Cut the piece in two. (In four if it really big).

Remove the skin. It's best to do it with a normal chef knife. Put the piece of the pumpkin on a flat surface and start removing the skin from the bottom while holding the top. Then flip the piece around and remove the skin from the part you were just holding while holding the already clean part.
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I hope that was clear for you...

Chop the pumpkin into quite big pieces. Everything is going to be mashed up so it doesn't matter if they're not going to be perfectly chopped. They have to be a small enough size so they cook easily.

In a massive pot heat up olive oil (use quite a bit).
Throw in the onion and cook until lightly browned (to be save do it on a medium heat so it won't burn when you look away for a spoon).

Add potatoes. Give them 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring all the time until you add the pumpkin.

Add carrot and parsley. Stir.

Add pepper. Stir.

Add pumpkin. Now stir every 3 minutes. After some time you'll see that the vegetables are shrinking and you have more space in a pot.

When you'll see that the pumpkin starts getting mushy add water. Add enough to cover the vegetables. Stir well, cover with a lid, turn the heat up and leave it like that for 10-15 minutes. After this time check on it, stir and do the same (if the soup goes crazy turn the heat down to medium).

Meanwhile cut the bread into 1cmx1cmx1cm squares.

Lay them in a baking tray. (you can also just fry them on a pan)

Depending on an amount of bread melt butter with garlic in a microwave and pour it on the bread. Sprinkle some salt. Stir it well and put in the oven for around 7-10 minutes at 160°C.

You know your soup is almost ready when all the vegetables are quite soft (soft enough for the blender too). Now it's up to you how salty you want the soup and how much nutmeg and pepper it needs. Keep cooking it over the low heat and slowly add bit by bit of each spice until you get the result you like.

When it's spiced enough mash it up with the blender and voila ! It's ready !

The soup should have a delicate taste. Quite sweet I would say. The pumpkin really does light up the mood. Because it's mashed up it's really good for troubled stomach. The crouton are a nice crunchy touch to the fluffy texture of the soup.

The soup is also great for halloween. 

Bon Appétit ! 


More delicious recipes at http://butterfingered-chef.blogspot.com/ ! Hope you'll visit !