Whilst talking to Jenny about the orchids, she mentioned she'd made lots of pumpkin soup, with one she'd got from Kingston Lacy, and her best batch had bacon in it.
I remembered that I hadn't posted about my soup. Thank you everybody who suggested different recipes, Margie adds red lentil, carrot and lots of spices, Mags uses milk and thyme for a more subtle flavour, Jenny adds bacon...
I swirled some thick homemade yogurt on top, and garnished with pea shoots from the crop on the windowsill, then a few pumpkin seeds were strewn on top.
Verdict; the pumpkin seeds were not pleasant, although I had toasted them. We both picked them out and left them on the side.
But the soup was delicious, and the ginger, cumin, nutmeg and coriander gave it a lovely spiciness.
Pumpkin does seem to be just 'a base' - you need to add plenty of flavouring to prevent it being rather bland, whether making a savoury soup or a sweet pie. But this was comforting and warm on a cold day. I think I prefer butternut squash though...
I'm not a lover of pumpkin in any form, but we use a lot of butternut squash and sweet potato.
ReplyDeleteFresh Pumpkin seeds are definitely an acquired taste, and much like Bob and your good self, I have never acquired it!
I love them in a pack of 'shop bought' mixed seeds though, and use a lot of them. Mixed seeds are great sprinkled over porridge or soups, and I love them mixed in with any sort of salad!
We're having Carrot and Coriander soup with homemade bread rolls for lunch today, and I've just put a beef and venison casserole together for this evening's dinner, it will sit in the slow cooker happily 'doing it's thing' until we're ready for it!
I bought a seed mix in "Grape Tree" and they have been very good sprinkled hither and thither on our food. Pre diet, I often put them in my home made bread too. Beef and venison stew sounds excellent autumnal fare.
DeleteOk, so to make the pumpkin seeds tasty. 1. Obviously clean them. 2. Leave to dry. 3. Melt some butter and mix with paprika, salt and pepper in a small tin when heating the oven for something else. 4. ADD the seeds and coat them in it and leave them in it to cook for 20mins or so. Reserve for a tasty snack!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kezzie. Will try this next time!
DeleteCan be done with squash seeds.
ReplyDeleteRoasting things like pumpkin in olive oil in the oven before adding them to soup improves the flavour no end. This is especially so with the soup maker I think, which I now would not like to be without!
ReplyDeleteYou could roast a batch when the oven is on for something else then keep in the fridge so as not to waste oven time. With this recipe I would try frying the pumpkin with the leeks.
I should have thought of the pre-roasting. As you say, it can be done alongside something else which is cooking - efficient and economical
DeleteIn Austria, pumpkin seed oil is drizzled onto soup or used in salad dressings. Here in Canada we can buy pumpkin seeds without the hull and they are good to sprinkle on soup or salads.
ReplyDeletePumpkin seed OIL is a not something I've heard of before
DeleteI don't think I've had pumpkin soup. Pumpkin curry and pumpkin pie, yes! I have that blue pumpkin waiting to be cooked. I like to toast the seeds with salt and chili powder to snack on. :)
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