I probably should have posted this 2 months ago when pumpkin season began. Well, better late then never! It's more convenient to use a kabocha pumkin, since no peeling is necessary. However, I don't think it affects the flavor much if using a regular pumpkin. Then this would be one way to use that scraping from the Halloween pumpkin!
Part 1 - the soup:
1.5 kg pumpkin, peeled & cubed
or kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), cubed & no peeling needed
50 g butter
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
a pinch cumin
1 L chicken stock
1 L water
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp crème fraîche
salt & pepper
Put butter into a large deep pan at medium high heat. Cook (sweat) onion for 5 mins or until onion becomes transparent. Add garlic, cumin, chicken stock and water. Turn heat to medium. Once boiling, simmer at low heat for 20-30 mins. Add crème fraîche and maple syrup. Use a handheld blender to blend the soup, so all ingredients become liquidity. Finally, salt & pepper to taste. Serve!
Alternative 1: Instead of using 1 L chicken stock and 1 L water, I cook a chicken with 2 L water for 2 hrs at low heat (first at medium high, then turn it down once water is boiling) the night before. Skim off the fat the following day, before use.
Alternative 2: If a handheld blender is not accessible to you, use a regular blender. You'll need to do it in batches, since the blender is probably not large enough.
Part 2 - the croutons (optional):
2 slices whole wheat bread, cut into small cubes
a pinch nutmeg
a pinch cinnamon
1 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4). Prepare the baking tray by covering the tray with a sheet of aluminum foil and brush a thin layer of oil. Spread the bread on the tray. Sprinkle all ingredients one by one. Gently mix them. Bake for 7 mins or until slightly golden brown.
Garnish: mint (optional)
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