The days are getting wet and grey, the leaves are turning yellow and the weather is definitely chilly! Bring out the layers, autumn has officially arrived.
Since moving to Switzerland, I have learned to enjoy the change of seasons. It is a good reminder that life is ever-changing- never stagnant, never boring. Over the years, I have developed a better appreciation for eating seasonal produce. When you eat seasonally, not only does the produce tastes its best, it is also cheaper than out of season.
Between October and November- it is PUMPKIN season! Along the country roads here in Switzerland, there are farm lorries displaying pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. The supermarkets here started selling pumpkins since September, you can buy butternut squash, sugar pumpkin (a.k.a Hokkaido pumpkin), pre-sliced pumpkin and more.
Since September, I have been incorporating pumpkin in our meals at least once a week. I normally just buy a pre-sliced pumpkin for convenience and bake them in the oven.
However this time, I bought some small pumpkins and today I will share my experience of making a simple pumpkin soup recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker, one of my favourite foodie websites. I found the recipe easy to follow, the only challenging part was cutting the pumpkin. It took quite a lot of strength and two different knives to finally cut them open. Thankfully I did not cut my fingers!
I rate the recipe 4.5/5 stars. The taste was creamy and yummy, perfect for a cold, rainy autumn night in. The soup is very filling and even though it took an hour to prepare, it was well worth the effort. My husband commented that it felt good to be eating something healthy from the ground, grown around our region. I hope you enjoy it too. Let's get cooking!
Ingredients
2 small pumpkins (I chose 2 different types)
1 small onion diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon of coconut oil
2 cups (480 ml) vegetable broth
1 cup (240 ml) light coconut milk + 4 tablespoons for drizzling
1/4 tsp each sea salt, white pepper, cinnamon
Serves 4
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 175 degree C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops of two sugar pumpkins and then halve them. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out all of the seeds and strings. (Watch your fingers and be careful when cutting!)
2. Place pumpkin face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the skin. Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then peel or scoop out the pumpkin. Set aside.
3. To a large saucepan over medium heat add 2 Tbsp coconut oil, onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly browned and translucent. Turn down heat if cooking too quickly.
4. Add remaining ingredients, including the pumpkin, and bring to a simmer.
5. Transfer soup mixture to a blender or use an emulsion blender to puree the soup. Pour mixture back into pot. (I recommend using the emulsion blender, saves you from transferring to a blender and wasting soup).
6. Serve with a drizzle of coconut milk. Dig in! :)
