This tasty, smooth soup is both quick to prepare and deliciously warming for nights in a cold succah. It looks special served in the hollowed pumpkin shell but is equally good served in a bowl.
Serves: 8
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 35 minutes
Ingredients
● 1 large whole pumpkin with at least 750g flesh for soup
● 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
● 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
● 2 tbsp cinnamon
● 2 sticks celery, sliced
● 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
● 1 leek, trimmed and sliced lengthways
● 75g plain flour
● 250ml orange juice
● 1 litre hot vegetable stock
● 2 tbsp olive oil, for inside the pumpkin shell
● Bouquet garni made with sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 2 half sticks of celery
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
● Prepare the pumpkin: trim off the top and retain as a lid, then carefully hollow out the flesh, discarding the fibres and seeds from the inside. Keep the shape intact so you can use it to serve your soup in.
● Cut 750g of pumpkin flesh into cubes.
● Heat a large saucepan with vegetable oil. Sauté the onions, cinnamon, leek, pumpkin, carrots and celery for about 3 minutes until slightly softened.
● Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
● Add the stock and orange juice and bring to the boil.
● Make the bouquet garni by tying a piece of string around the bay leaves, thyme and celery sticks and add to the soup.
● Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
● Simmer for 35 minutes.
● Remove the bouquet garni.
● Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
● Brush the olive oil inside the pumpkin shell. Replace the lid on the top of the pumpkin. Place on a tray lined with non-stick baking parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.
● Liquidise the soup until smooth. Return to the saucepan, reheat and adjust seasoning accordingly.
● Pour the soup into the cooked pumpkin shell and serve immediately.
