Monday, October 25, 2010

Recipe: Pumpkin soup

By DAILY MAIL RECIPE

Pumpkins make delicious soup - and if you can resist carving the shells into scary faces, you can use them as serving bowls too.


Happy Halloween! Pumpkins make a delicious autumnal soup

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS
25g (1oz) butter
900g (2lbs) pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stick of celery, chopped
1ltr (1¾pt) vegetable stock
250ml (9fl oz) double cream
Chives to garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


METHOD
Over a medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the vegetables, sweating them gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and simmer gently until the vegetables are just cooked.

Purée with an electric blender until smooth and return the vegetables to the saucepan. Add the double cream, warm gently and season the soup to taste. Ladle the soup into the pumpkin bowls, sprinkle with chives and serve.

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN BOWLS
Using a sharp knife, cut the tops from the pumpkins to form a zig-zag shaped opening. Scoop out and discard the seeds and pulp from each pumpkin and pumpkin lid (retain the pumpkin flesh for the soup).

When the pumpkin is neatly hollowed, cover thinly with lemon juice to prevent the flesh from discolouring. You might also wish to cut the base of the pumpkin to allow the bowls to sit flat.


source : dailymail