Halloween is nigh, and the pumpkins are out en masse, some are so small they fit in the palm of your hand and others are like over-sized beach balls.
The colder mornings and plethora of pumpkins got me thinking about making soup - I LOVE homemade soup! It's healthy, wholesome, easy to make and quick to heat up time and time again. I found the following recipe for Pumpkin, Chilli and Coconut Soup on the BBC Food Website. I would serve this with a generous handful of smokey bacon bits (or lardons) to help combat the sweetness from the pumpkin and coconut milk. I also have fresh herbs on my balcony so a sprig of coriander (cilantro) would set it off beautifully. For those who are calorie conscious you can add half coconut milk, half vegetable stock. Here it is, enjoy!
Ingredients
1 medium pumpkin, preferably organic
1 large white onion, chopped
2.5cm/1in piece of root ginger, finely chopped (I bought fresh and immediately placed it in the freezer so always to hand and easier to grate)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ Scotch bonnet chilli, seeds removed, chopped (I'm keeping the seeds in for extra heat!)
4–5 sprigs thyme
400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Find out what's happening in New Canaanfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Preparation method
- Cut the pumpkin in half, then into wedges. Peel and deseed each wedge and cut the pumpkin flesh into 2.5cm/1in cubes.
- Put the pumpkin in a large pan with the onion, ginger, garlic and chilli. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add to the pan.
- Pour in about 400ml/14fl oz of water, bring to the boil and cook until the pumpkin has turned to a pulp.
- Add the coconut milk and season to taste with salt, then reduce the heat and leave the soup to simmer for another 5–10 minutes.
