Gosh! It's been almost
six months since I have been part of the blogosphere. It was towards the end of
July when I first started with Culinary Experiments of an Amateur and
I must say that this blog has made so many things possible for me. It gives me
that little glow every time I think about them, though I did not realize at the
time that what had started out as a bit of fun would turn out to be addictive
passion! Besides the fact that I am learning so much everyday about
picture-taking, I have to say I have become more experimental with my cooking
too. I do not shy away from complicated sounding recipes anymore. As a matter
of fact I take this on as a challenge and in the end I am totally amazed at how
it turned out. And when everything turns out well for me, I just cannot wait to
share it with you.
You! That is the biggest
bonus I was rewarded with this blog. I got to know many of you. Through your
comments, mails and blogs it was just plain fun being in touch with you. The
best thing about it is that I look forward to more of it this year. Just
getting to know people through their blogs and sharing a common passion in food
brings us all so much closer. I would have never thought that this was such a
fantastic social community. So thank you everyone, you guys rock. :)
Getting back to
today’s dish. Rustic and easy. Often I crave the simple dishes. There are
certain food combinations that simply work extremely well together. One of them
are pumpkin and carrots. Both have a sweet flavour and the crunchiness of the
carrot is a wonderful contrast to the juicy softness of the pumpkin. Add a bit
of green chilli and adequate seasoning you've got an explosive flavour.
Roasting both the
pumpkin and carrots is like a beautiful love affair. The sweet harmony of flavours
that are intertwined with each other is incredible.
After checking out my
pantry and refrigerator, I started forming a recipe in my head. This soup is so
easy to make: roasted veggies, extra-virgin olive oil, onion, and a hint of
pepper, salt and green chilli and Bingo! The flavour you get is a lovely mix of
roasted veggies and seasoning, just waiting to be enjoyed. I am a lover of
soups and thus ended up making a little extra for the glutton in me!! :)
I'm sure everyone has
their own pumpkin soup recipe that they swear by. It will be interesting to see
the various versions for pumpkin soup and the secret ingredients that are added
into it!
When I saw Donna
Hay's pumpkin soup recipe on her show on the Lifestyle channel the
other day, I had to try it. But of course, I made a few changes of my own to
give it that twist and more so to suit our palate. It's easy, delicious, and
has a different level of flavour. The aroma of the fresh juicy pumpkin is
intense and the flavour pure and powerful. Not watery or insipid like it's
often the case but a beautiful light consistency. A healthy and refreshing soup
for all those weight watchers out there. Do give it a try and you'll see what
I'm talking about.
So, today I present to
you the wonderful, totally nourishing and the very comforting, Roasted Pumpkin
Soup. There is certainly no fixed recipe for a pumpkin soup and you are free to
play with the flavours as you like it. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Pumpkin - 1 (pie
pumpkin)
Carrot – 1 (medium)
Onion (finely sliced)
– 1
Green chilli (slit
lengthwise) – 1 or 2 (adjust as per spice tolerance)
Chicken Stock – 2 ½ to
3 cups
Cinnamon – 1 inch
stick
Clove – 1
Salt – to taste
Cracked pepper – to
taste
Brown Sugar – 2 tsp
Olive oil
Method
Once the pumpkin has
cooled slightly, scoop the pumpkin and keep aside.
Heat oil in a saucepan
and saut’e sliced green chillies, cinnamon and clove for a few minutes. Add
sliced onion along with brown sugar. Saut’e till onion turns golden brown and
is caramelized well. Add the roasted pumpkin and carrot and stir for a few
minutes. Now add the chicken stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Puree
with a stick blender or a normal blender. Place the saucepan back on the stove
and turn onto a medium heat. Heat through for a few minutes. Add enough salt
and cracked pepper.
Serve piping hot.
Hi , pls advice got how many people is the spicy pumpkin soup for?
ReplyDeleteIt can definitely serve about 2 to 4 people, of course it depends on the quantity you polish off! :)
ReplyDelete