SPOOKY COOKS AND PUMPKIN SOUPS

Hallowe’en is in the air!  In fact since about August it’s been everywhere!  The barbecue may have just gasped its last but that’s not the point; we can’t go head first into Christmas without giving Hallowe’en a good seeing to.  And here’s what makes Hallowe’en great:  

Food and dressing up!  Hooray!  Anything that involves food, face paints and fancy dress is a Local Sauce Happy Place.  Never mind the real reasons behind Hallowe’en (Celtic festival for the end of harvest, anyone? Warding off fairies and spirits?  Honouring the dead?  All of the above?) it’s an annual excuse to feast on the last of the summer fruit and veg and eat your own body weight in sugar.  Double hooray!  Apparently in days of yore it was a particularly good time for spirits to cross into our world and wreak a bit of havoc round the house, although it would be even easier now with that extra hour when the clocks move back...

(...and that, ladies and gentlemen, was the sad sound of a joke, dying)

For our little Hallowe’en table of treats, we took advantage of the abundance of pumpkins on offer and whipped up a couple of little soups, a spicy and a not so spicy one, to ward off the early winter chill, adding a generous swirl of cream to both for balance and body.   They are super little bowls of savoury respite in a festival saturated in sweeties: 

A table of fun for everyone!

If you’re into a bit of spice, a teaspoon or two of curry powder in a winter vegetable soup almost never fails to draw out the flavours and warm you from top to toe.  We also threw in some ginger and garlic for an extra boost to our spicy one, although not enough to fend off vampires, you have been warned, and a slick of balsamic to our more simple version for a little bit of bite.  It may not be ideal for handing out to little people on a confectionary crusade, but equally could make their night if, like me, they were palmed off with monkey nuts and walnuts.  In their shells.  Oh for bowl of soup!

Oh Pumpkito!  

While the spirits may have ceased flowing through our houses (although not down the throats of a Friday night Hallowe’en crowd!  Another terrible joke! It lives!) they are courteous enough to knock now, before asking for sugary treats.  Some call it trick or treating, but the best of us call it Guising, because that’s its name.  The golden rules of guising are: wear a disguise, preferably ghoulish, carry a suitable swag bag, and always, always have a party piece, because as we all know: no party piece equals no sweets.  Even a really bad joke will do. 

Oh, and stop doing it after the age of about 12 because by then you’re just threatening.  

R.

Spicy Pumpkin soup - serves 6

2 tbs olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp minced ginger

1 to 1+half tsp mild curry powder
1kg peeled pumpkin, diced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1L chicken or vegetable stock

125ml single cream, plus a little extra to serve 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning

Chopped coriander or parsley to serve

+ some optional Dried chili flakes for extra kick!

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat, add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. 
2. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the pumpkin, potato and stock and bring to the boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
4. Leave to cool slightly, then blend the mixture in batches.  For a super smooth soup, pass the blended mixture through a sieve and back into the saucepan, using a wooden spoon to move the mixture through.
5. Stir through 125ml of the cream and gently reheat the soup, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.    
6. To finish, serve up the hot soup and add a final swirl of cream, and sprinkle on some fresh coriander or parsley.  For an extra bit of zing, add a pinch of dried chili.

Notes on a Pumpkin Soup:

We recommend a teaspoon of curry powder as it really helps bring out the flavour of the vegetables, but have added an extra optional half a teaspoon for the more adventurous spicy soup people out there, and chili flakes for the pioneers!  If you feel your soup is too thick, add a little water loosen it up again, remembering to season as you go so as not to lose flavour.  If you’re after a slightly healthier soup, go easy on the cream...

Simple Pumpkin Soup - Serves 5-6

750g pumpkin, peeled and diced

1 medium potato, peeled and diced 

2 medium onions, finely chopped 

875 ml chicken (or vegetable) stock 

250 ml cream 

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Place the pumpkin, potato, onion and stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Remove the mixture from heat and allow to cool slightly before blending until smooth.
4. If needed, return the mixture to the saucepan and reheat slightly, before stirring through the cream (do not boil after adding cream).
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.