Name: Whole roasted pumpkin soup with leaf dippers
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 small pumpkins; olive oil; 100 gram butter; 1 onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 potato, peeled and cut into 3cm dice; 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces; 1/2 large pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 3cm dice; cream or plain unsweetened yoghurt, to serve; grainy bread, toasted, cut into leaf shapes, to serve

Whole roasted pumpkin soup with leaf dippers

We live in an age where there has never been more interest in food and cooking and yet many children have no idea where the food they eat comes from. We have a huge problem with childhood obesity and yet many children lack essential nutrients. Writer Michael Pollan’s mantra ‘Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants’ rings true, but we have no hope of achieving this unless we allow children to be part of the ‘farm to fork’ journey

Ingredients

6 small pumpkins

olive oil

100 gram butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 potato, peeled and cut into 3cm dice

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces

1/2 large pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 3cm dice

cream or plain unsweetened yoghurt, to serve

grainy bread, toasted, cut into leaf shapes, to serve

Method

1.Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut a circle in the top of each pumpkin and remove – these are the lids, so don’t throw away. If you find it easier, just slice the top off each pumpkin.

2.Scrape out and discard seeds.

3.Brush inside each pumpkin with olive oil and season. Replace lids and roast on a tray for 30-40 minutes or until tender and cooked through.

4.Heat butter in a large pot, add onion and garlic and sauté until soft.

5.Add potato, carrot and pumpkin and sweat for 10-15 minutes to caramelise.

6.Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.

7.Purée until silky smooth, adding more water if necessary to reach desired consistency. Season to taste. For a stonger flavour, add freshly grated 4cm piece ginger, 1 tsp chilli flakes and 1 tsp each cumin seeds and coriander seeds at the sauté stage and then a large bunch of coriander at the puréeing stage.

8.Fill pumpkins with hot soup, leaving room to replace the lids. Serve with a little pot of cream or yoghurt to swirl through soup, and toasted grainy bread cut into leaf shapes

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Ingredients

Method

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