Why did the pumpkin cross the road?

Because it wanted to play squash!

Ok, so that’s a bad pun joke based on a bit of botanical confusion.  It seems as though the humble pumpkin is leading a double life as a squash…or a winter squash to be more precise.

It's a Butternut...erm...Pumpkin....or Squash...or Gourd!

Throughout the world, regional nomenclature will call this gourd like fruit either name (or gourd too, for that matter), and there really does not seem to be any rules for how the name is used.  So, at the risk of sounding egotistical, I’m going to state the Pumpkin/Squash rules as I see them:

• If you cannot eat the fruit, but rather use it as a decoration or vessel: it’s a gourd.
• If you can eat it, and cut it open to reveal a cavity holding the seeds: it’s a pumpkin.
• If it’s edible, and you cut it open to reveal seeds distributed throughout the flesh, without a cavity, it’s a squash.

Regardless of what you call it, the pumpkin is a delicious and versatile fruit that packs a wallop of vitamins and minerals into a sweet and tasty package.  It can be served roasted, a mouth watering side to a delicious Sunday Roast.  It can be covered in brown sugar and marshmallows, and accompany Turkey on Thanksgiving.  You can even make a heavy custard with the flesh, mixed with eggs and a bit of sugar, and serve it as a deliciously spiced pie, paired with a scoop of ice cream.  Or, as is my personal favourite, you can turn it into a soup which served hot will warm you on the coldest of winter days, or served chilled will satisfy you during the most oppressive of hot summer days.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (just over 2lbs) of pumpkin; peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 250g Carrots; peeled and cut into chunks
• 250g Onions; peeled and diced
• 3-4 cups Chicken Stock (use Veggie Stock to make this dish vegetarian)
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic
• 250ml Sour Cream (or 300ml cream plus 3 Tablespoons Lime Juice)
• Up to 250ml Milk
• Up to 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• Extra sour cream (or natural yoghurt) for serving

I almost always use Butternut Pumpkin for this recipe.  Jap pumpkins are also delicious here.  Given the difference in sweetness and water content between different types of pumpkins, and indeed different pumpkins of the same type, I have included milk and sugar as a variable quantity ingredient.

Ok, so I copied this photo from the Internet. I have to get myself a light box.

Add the first 7 ingredients to a soup or stock-pot.  Make sure it’s enough liquid to just cover the fruit/veggies.  If not, add more water, but note that you will need to evaporate some of it out later, or it may be a bit watery.

Simmer for about 2 hours, or until the carrots are very tender.  The pumpkin will be well cooked by then, and even be breaking down a little turning the liquid a light shade of orange.

Using a stick blender (or food processor) blend until it is all smooth.  At this point you can pass it through a sieve, which I would if I were using a more fibrous version of pumpkin, or I was serving it during a particularly swanky dinner party.

Add the sour cream, and blend some more.  Now check the consistency and taste it.  If it is too thick, more like baby food than soup, add the milk.  Season it, if it needs.  Finally, add some brown sugar, if it is not quite sweet enough.

Serve in a nice bowl, with a toasted crouton, and a dollop of sour cream (or yoghurt) in the middle.

Pumpkin soup in all it's glory

Certainly this is not the most complicated pumpkin soup recipe out there, but it will provide you with delicious consistent results every time.  Sure, you can roast the veggies first, before turning them into a soup…the result will be richer and probably sweeter…or you can add other spices to jazz up the flavour profile, but there is only one “variation” that I might truly recommend.

Boil some ravioli until al dente (large fresh or frozen ones are best).  Toss the pumpkin soup with the cooked cheese ravioli .  Fry up some prosciutto or chorizo sausage in olive oil and garlic, until nice and crispy.  Scoop out the prosciutto or chorizo and scatter around the top of the dressed ravioli.  Drizzle the pan oil over it all, and enjoy.

So I haven't made the ravioli...YET...but here is a photo of something very similar. Ditch the nuts, and add the pork product, and...well, you get the idea.