The greatness of gourds

Australians love their pumpkins and so do I (see here and here).  This orangey gourd is a commonly used ingredient all year round; it’s in sandwiches, pastas, desserts and my favourite – soups!  Pumpkin's sweet and creamy flesh lends a great thick texture and earthy touch to any dish.

Each time I make pumpkin soup I change my recipe.  This time, I roasted the pumpkin to caramelize the sugars, adding another layer of flavour.  Additional ingredients included apples, garlic, rosemary and caraway seeds – a spice that comes from the parsley family and has a very distinct flavour that goes well with hearty foods.  I use caraway for a number of recipes (a delicious one is my rye crispbreads).

This soup is easy to make and much healthier and fresher than any store-bought variety.  It only takes 40 minutes to make and it’s perfect for lunch or dinner.  In the spirit of using everything, I cooked the pumpkin with the skin (yes, this is edible - and full of fibre!) and used the toasted seeds for a garnish.  For a final touch I added a little umami flavour with red miso paste.  The miso provided a salty, sweet and earthy taste and was an excellent replacement for the stock I didn’t have!

roasted pumpkin and apple soup

makes 8 serves or more

1 kg pumpkin

2 pink lady apples (or any other sweet apple)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt and pinch of pepper

2 sprigs rosemary

1 tsp dried sage

3 cloves garlic – crushed

1 tsp caraway seeds

2 tbsp red miso paste

3 cups (approx 700ml) water

1 cup milk (any kind you like)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C

Deseed pumpkin (reserve seeds) and apple and chop into small, even pieces.  In a bowl, add pumpkin, apple, olive oil, salt and pepper, rosemary, sage, garlic and caraway – mix well and place onto lined

baking sheet. 

Bake for 35 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.  Remove woody part of rosemary and garlic skins.  For ‘stock’ – in a bowl add 3 cups of boiled water to 2 tbsp miso paste and mix. Blend soup in portions –

adding 1 cup of miso water at a time to pumpkin and apple mix (this helps to ensure that you use the right amount of water – not too watery, not too thick).

Place blended soup into pot and add 1 cup of milk (again, this might need to be adjusted based on desired consistency).  Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.  I served my soups with some fresh basil and toasted pumpkin seeds. Yum!