Soup is a winter staple on our farm and this Farmhouse Pumpkin Soup is an easy, hearty and comforting recipe.
Coming into winter, just off the back of the autumn harvest, we always have an abundance of pumpkin. Pumpkin stores well so there is no imperative to use them immediately, yet after a long hot Aussie summer we are all usually eager to get back into soup season.
Most pumpkins varieties make excellent soup but I try to avoid overly fibrous or stringy varieties, especially any grown for ornamental purposes.
Undoubtably my favourite soup pumpkin is a Jarrahdale, which is an heirloom Australian variety. It has non-fibrous dense, hard flesh which carries less water resulting in a thicker soup. Jarrahdales have a balanced sweet, savoury flavour. Their scent being described as floral like.
Unfortunately, Jarrahdales can be difficult to find in store and you may need to try your hand at growing a crop. Queensland Blue, Kent (or Jap) and Butternut all make wonderful soup and are easily sourced.
If you’re looking to harvest your own pumpkins visit my guide on How to Grow Pumpkin or if you’re after specific pumpkins to use for soup see Pumpkin Varieties to Grow.
I have a rotation of different soups I make out of our pumpkins.
Our son adores pumpkin soup to the point where I don’t think he would blink at it being served daily to him, while my husband, although no qualms with pumpkin, prefers carrot soup.
One year, from a lack of time and being content to go through the motions of cooking something familiar, I served pumpkin soup a lot. As I was cutting pumpkin for yet another soup dinner, Matt admitted he was tiring of pumpkin soup and requested that I add a carrot. Then another carrot, and another carrot, and another carrot. Soon I had a kilogram of carrots chopped and in the pot ready to make “pumpkin” soup.
The sweet earthy flavour of carrot does make for a perfect pairing with the savoury nuttiness of pumpkin. I’m also heavy on the spices here, giving this farmhouse pumpkin soup a deeper, richer flavour.
Both boys were happy with this combination and this farmhouse pumpkin soup has been in my seasonal rotation ever since. I probably now cook it more often than any other soup.
The use of a single potato is primarily for the purpose of using starch as a thickener, although I also like the added butteriness it provides. Be as liberal or conservative as you please with the herbs and by all means switch out fresh herbs for dry if that’s what’s on hand.
I serve this soup garnished with finely chopped fresh parsley, a side of cream and crusty white bread lashed with butter.
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Equipment
- 1 Stick Mixer or Blender I prefer a blender for a perfectly smooth soup but a stick mix will do the job
Ingredients
- 800 grams pumpkin cut into 1cm cubes
- 500 grams carrot peeled and sliced into 1cm rounds
- 1 large potato peeled and diced into icm cubes
- 1 large brown onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 litre stock vegetable or chicken
- ½ cup milk or cream
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 50 grams butter
- 30 grams butter additional to the above
- 1 tsp olive oil
Bouquet Garni
- 5 sprigs parsley
- 5 sprigs oregano
- 5 sprigs thyme
Garnish and Serving
- parsley roughly chopped
- heavy cream
Instructions
- Over low heat add 50g of the butter, olive oil, onion and garlic to a large pot (preferable thick bottomed and with a lid). Turn heat to low and sweat the onion until translucent (approx. 5 minutes).1 large brown onion, 50 grams butter, 1 tsp olive oil, 4 cloves garlic
- Add pumpkin, carrot, potato, cumin, nutmeg, salt and pepper to the pot. Turn stove to medium heat and stir to coat the vegetables in oil and spices.800 grams pumpkin, 500 grams carrot, 1 large potato, ¾ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp salt
- If you haven't already done so, tie the parsley, thyme and oregano into a bouquet with kitchen string. Place the bouquet garni on top of the vegetables in the pot.5 sprigs parsley, 5 sprigs thyme, 5 sprigs oregano
- Cover the pot with its lid, turn heat back to low and leave to softly fry for 20 minutes.
- Remove lid, add stock to the pot, return lid and let simmer for a further 45 minutes.1 litre stock
- At this point the vegetables should have softened. Test this but checking the tenderness of the carrots which are the slowest of the vegetables to cook.
- Turn the heat off and remove the bouquet garni from the soup.
- In batches, blend the soup into a smooth consistency. If using a stick mixer you can do this directly in the pot.
- When the required consistency is achieved return the soup to low heat. Add the milk and the remainder 30g of butter. Stirring until incorporated.½ cup milk, 30 grams butter
- Bring the soup to the brink of simmer before turning off the heat. Stir through the additional garnish parsley (or place on table with heavy cream for self selection) and serve.parsley, heavy cream
Top soup recipe.