In an effort to be seasonal I thought I'd give you a recipe so you can use up all of those pumpkins that are being sold throughout the western world right now. In truth the pumpkin is a marvellous vegetable. It is very versatile and I would recommend using it in many recipes (like this chilli recipe). In addition for those vegetarians out there pumpkin makes a great substitute for meat in many recipes!
This recipe is a variation on my "red" soup. The basis of this is that most red (or orange) vegetables work well together, and can be combined to make an excellent "red" soup...
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 kg of Pumpkin
1 red onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper (capsicum)
4 large tomatoes
2 red chillies
500 ml chicken stock (vegetable works well also)
salt and pepper to season
sour crème
cooking oil
Equipment needed
an oven
a gas hob
a blender
a large oven tray
a large pan
a large knife
chopping board
The first step is to roast the vegetables. Pre heat the oven to 250 degrees C.
Cut the skin off the pumpkin and slice it into 2-3 cm squares.
Peel the onion and quarter it.
Peel the garlic
Slice the tomatoes into rough eighths (slice in half, then half again, then half again)
Cut the red pepper in half and dispose of the seeds in the middle
Slice the chilli in half and remove the seeds
Place all of these ingredients in a plastic bag and pour in half a cup of oil. Mix thoroughly.
Pour the (now thoroughly oiled) ingredients from the bag and place them onto the oven tray. Sprinkle salt over them.
Place the oven tray into the centre of the oven and immediately turn the oven down to about 170.
The next step is easy. Just leave the ingredients in the oven for about an hour and a half. You may stir them about around half way through the cooking process. If the vegetables seem to be cooking too fast (getting brown around the edges) then reduce the heat. At the end of an hour and a half test the pumpkin to make sure it is cooked. It should be soft to a fork.
Once you have ascertained that it is cooked remove the vegetables from the oven tray and transfer them to the large pan. Add the stock at this stage, and also add pepper to taste. Put the pan onto a medium heat and allow it to simmer. Stir it well.
Once the ingredients have lost some of their consistency, you can transfer the mixture to the blender and blend it until it is a purée. You may need to do this in a few batches depending on how large your blender is. Transfer the mix back to the pot once it is blended. If you feel that the soup is too thick just add water at this stage.
The soup is essentially done now. Serve it hot with a spoon-full of the sour crème on top. Crusty bread is also a good side serving for this soup (as with all soups). This soup is great when it comes to keeping you warm for those long autumn nights...
Variations
As I mentioned this is a variation on my "red" soup theme. Other reddish vegetables that can be added are carrots, sweet potatoes, yams or any squash. Treat these in exactly the same way as the pumpkin.
If you like more of a kick you can add more chillies, or if you don't like spicy food they can be removed. Chilli powder is an acceptable substitute for the chillies.
The sour creme can be replaced with crème fraich.
Try sprinkling mixed herbs over the vegetables before roasting them.
If you want to do this recipe healthier you could boil all of the vegetables instead of roasting them. The taste won't be as satisfying... but healthier food never is is it?
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