RECIPE – Pumpkin Soup

A bowl of hot pumpkin / vegan ‘Quibebe’ soup … no need for garnish, perfect as it is.
This is a soup for the harvest season. Your garden can supply most of it.

The first time making this soup I used Kuri Squash. Someone in the kitchen had just roasted them, so I used what I had available! The taste was so good. I tried other types of pumpkins and though good, the Kuri gave it a stronger taste. Also the roasting brings out flavour.
I decided to grow some in my garden, specifically for making this soup…and it is now October and I was not disappointed!
With the potato and the pinch of chilli this soup is not overly pumpkinny if that word can be used.
INGREDIENTS
450g of pumpkin – peeled and cubed ( small ones taste best, Kuri squash used here) 1 onion – finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped 1/2 tsp chilli flakes 1 tomato – chopped 1 potato – cubed 2 tbsp flour A pinch of ground fenugreek 1 cup of soya milk 2 cups of water Salt and pepper
METHOD
– Roast pumpkin and potato in the oven until cooked, 360F / 180 C. Drizzle a drop of oil over them and mix well to get them all coated.The pumpkin will cook faster, so cube the potato smaller ( and keep the peel on the potatoes, adds to the flavour and nutrients ).

– Soften the onion, garlic and chilli flakes in a drop of oil. – Add the roasted pumpkin and potato, the pinch of Funegreek, the tomato, the water and soya milk and bring to the boil.- Simmer for 10 minutes.- Blend it till as smooth as you like. I do not over blend as i still like a little chunky consistency.- taste it and add salt as desired and a grind of black pepper.

This recipe was inspired or you might even say veganized from a brazilian recipe – Quibebe that I found in The World in our Kitchen by Troth Wells,New Internationalist 1992