We still have many cold months ahead, so smallholders can make this great pumpkin soup recipe to warm themselves.
That is one of the joys of growing vegetables such as pumpkins, butternuts and Hubbard Squashes. If they are stored safely so that they are not damaged by frost or rats, they can see us through winter.
Here is a suggestion for how to make the soup, but feel free to adjust quantities to suit your family’s taste.
Pumpkin soup recipe
Ingredients
1 kg peeled pumpkin chunks
1 medium onion
5-7 cm piece fresh ginger
2-3 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp parsley or fresh coriander
2 Tbsp olive/sunflower oil
5 ml salt
2 ml freshly ground pepper
5-7 ml cumin
Juice of 1-2 lemons
400 ml can coconut milk
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Method
Cook pumpkin (boil or microwave it) and reserve the water in which it was cooked.
Peel the onion, garlic and ginger and chop in a food processor with the parsley/coriander. (If you don’t have a food processor, grate the ginger and chop the other ingredients finely.)
Heat the oil and fry the onion mixture. When the onion is cooked, add the pumpkin, coconut milk, half the lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper and stir until well mixed.
Blend until smooth. Add more lemon juice and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add some of the pumpkin water if the soup is too thick.
Sprinkle each bowl of soup with a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds or garnish with parsley or coriander.
Serve with crusty bread or bread sticks.
Variations of this pumpkin soup recipe
- Spread a swirl of apricot jam in each soup bowl before pouring the soup in.
- Use butternut or Hubbard Squash instead of pumpkin.
- Use 10 ml Cape Malay Curry spice as an alternative to, or in addition to the cumin.
- Use cream or sour cream instead of coconut milk.
- An equal blend of fresh mint and coriander can be used instead of parsley.
- Add lemon zest to taste.
- Add sherry or brandy for extra warmth!
- In summer this soup may be served cold.
The SA Smallholder website has many recipes for using the produce that we grow.