Roasted Crown Prince Pumpkin Soup

RoastedCrownPrincePumpkinSoup

With Panfried Potato Croutons 

Serves 4

Vegetarian or Vegan / Gluten Free 

What could be more satisfying and appealing than a hearty soup served in a whole pumpkin!

Succulent chunks of the pumpkin flesh scooped into each mouthful, along with crispy potato croutons, make this in fact, so much more than just a soup. A creamy, fragrant, heartwarming meal, beautiful and so full of flavour! Apart from a little effort to prep the pumpkins, this is easy to prepare, and will look after itself, while it gently roasts in the oven. 

Ingredients

For the pumpkin soup

4 Crown Prince pumpkins, about 1kg each (or other smaller variety pumpkin)

1tbsp organic ghee or butter*

4 shallots, peeled & finely chopped

125ml white wine

2tbsp fresh thyme leaves

150g organic cream cheese*

750ml organic cream*

125ml boiling water

1tsp salt

1tbsp Dijon mustard

200g grated gruyere cheese*

Salt & pepper to taste

Some thyme sprigs for serving

For the potato croutons

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3tbsp flour

1tsp salt

1tsp dried oregano

1tsp sweet paprika

1tsp nutritional yeast

2tbsp organic ghee or butter*

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

To prepare the pumpkins, cut each one across the top, a quarter of the way down to form a lid. Scoop out the central seed pulp, leaving the flesh intact. Do the same with the lids as needed and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add the butter or ghee and shallots. Sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the wine and thyme and allow for most of the liquid to evaporate. Melt in the cream cheese and add the cream, water, salt and mustard. Simmer for a few minutes and turn off the heat. Add half the cheese and stir until melted. 

Place the pumpkins on a large, lined baking tray and set the lids aside. Ladle the soup into each prepared pumpkin, sprinkle the rest of the cheese between them and replace the lids. Wrap each pumpkin with a large double layer of dampened baking parchment or foil.**

Carefully transfer to the oven, place on the middle shelf and roast for two hours.

For the panfried potato croutons, place them in a saucepan with plenty of cold water and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, drain them in a colander and pat them dry with a tea towel or kitchen paper. Place in a bowl with the flour and spices and mix to coat the potatoes well. Melt the ghee or butter in a large frying pan and sauté the croutons over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are golden and crispy. Cook in batches in needed, so as to not overcrowd the pan.

To serve, using oven gloves, carefully transfer each pumpkin onto a large dinner plate. Remove the lid and place it on the side. Garnish with the potato croutons, a few thyme sprigs and some freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

*For a fully plant based version, make sure to use vegan butter, cream and cheeses.

If using baking parchment, cut a large piece, scrunch it up and dampen it under the tap. Then unfold it, shake off any excess water and wrap each pumpkin like a parcel. To do so, sit the pumpkin on the paper, leaving one end free. Then fold the paper over the top and tuck it underneath, so as to cover the pumpkin entirely.

You can keep the pumpkin seeds for roasting. Wash them thoroughly to remove any pumpkin flesh, then boil them in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry and spread them on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with your choice of seasoning, herbs and spices and roast at 160C for 10 minutes, till they are lovely and golden. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.