Pumpkin Coconut Soup & Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

It’s that time of year again when the leaves form a colourful carpet of gold, yellow, brown, red, the air has that crispness about it (verging on really quite cold here in Denmark!), the mornings are getting darker, it’s harder to get out of bed, night falls earlier and getting cosy under a blanket on the sofa is just around the corner…I love Autumn with the hint of hibernation that it brings and all these delicious, richly coloured seasonal vegetables like pumpkin and butternut squash. Comfort foods are back in season and it’s time to get in the kitchen to bake and create decadently luxuriously textured meals. One of my favourites is Pumpkin soup.

Now, before we go any further I must dedicate this post to one of my delightful clients, Maria. Maria loves my posts but thinks (with a chuckle that leaves no doubt as to the accuracy of her comment), that the recipes posted are ‘somewhat’ dessert biased. Yes, I admit it. I love chocolate. Always have. I love desserts. The cause: my French half. The French always have dessert. A very addictive habit. One that I have difficulty letting go of. So, for Maria, here is an Autumnal savory recipe.

Pumpkins: these Halloween heads are full of the anti-oxidants alpha & beta-carotene (carotenoids), precursors to vitamin A which is needed for healthy vision. Carotenoids are anti-ageing and the vitamin E content helps to protect your skin against sun damage. No, you don’t need to rub pumpkin into your face, it’ll work more effectively from the inside out. So eat it, eat it…The vitamin C content boosts immunity and pumpkins are also a great source of fibre which helps to keep your bowel movements regular and manage blood sugar levels which is essential to help maintain a healthy weight (think of those ‘hibernation’ layers).

Top with a sprinkling of mixed seeds, a hint of paprika, basil (parsley or coriander would be better but this is all we had) or your choice of toppings. This soup has such a rich, decadent, yet soft taste, love it!

Pumpkin Coconut Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Leek
• 1 small/medium Pumpkin
• 1 Tin coconut milk
• Butter
• To taste approx 1tsp cinnamon, cumin, curry powder
• Vege stock or herbs of choice (how about rosemary, thyme)
• Pinch Salt or miso paste

Cooking instructions

1. Chop the leek and roughly cut the skin off the pumpkin. Empty it out (keeping the seeds aside - you’ll find instructions on how to roast them below) and chop the pumpkin into bite sized pieces
2. In a big saucepan, gently cook the leek in the butter
3. Add the pumpkin pieces and coconut milk (add water if too thick)
4. Add herbs and spices listed above - to taste, start with 1tsp cinnamon, 1/2tsp cumin, 1/2tsp curry
5. Add salt to taste (or wait until you taste the soup as you might not need it) or 1tsp miso paste
6. Once the pumpkin pieces are soft, blend it up in a blender or with a hand blender (remember to cover the saucepan, deep jar or whatever you are using with a tea towel or it'll spray all over the place. Yes. I have tried it). You might want to hold back on using all the liquid to ensure that you reach the desired consistency. I like mine quite thick so I usually hold some of the liquid back and add it little by little