The winter weather has well and truly set in & to many nothing is more comforting than a large bowl of hot homemade soup on a cold & blustery evening. Pumpkin soup is one of those ever familiar, nostalgic dishes that everyone has a go to recipe for- often handed down by family members throughout the generations with each generation putting their own spin on old family recipes. This is what inspired this month’s newsletter contribution.
Whilst I’m aware there are many recipes for Moroccan Style Roast Pumpkin Soup out there, I thought what better way to put a fun, colourful and contemporary twist on this everyday dish by harnessing the incredible colour of roast beetroot.
Moroccan Spice Mix
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1/3 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/3 tsp Salt
- 1/3 tsp Pepper
Pumpkin & Chickpea Soup
- 2kg Pumpkin
- 800gm Tinned Chickpeas – washed and drained
- 3 to 4 Cloves of Garlic
- 2 Large Onions – skinned & cut into quarters
- 1 tbsp of Minced Ginger
- 1 to 2 Lemons
- 2 L Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Beetroot & Mint Sour Cream
- 600gm Roast Beetroot Pureed
- 300gm Sour Cream
- 3 tbsp Sweet Mint Jelly
- Salt & Pepper
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
- Combine the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl & set aside.
- Wash and gently scrub the beetroots clean, wrap in tin foil and place in the oven to roast until tender. Approximately 45 to 60 min depending on their size. Once done, remove from the oven, unwrap and set aside to cool.
- Next chop, skin and remove the seeds from the pumpkin and arrange on a large baking tray along with the garlic cloves & onions. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, sprinkle with the Moroccan spice mix, toss, then place in the oven to roast until golden and tender.
- Once the beets have cooled, remove the skins, chop and place in a Blixer or food processor with the mint jelly and blend until smooth. Remove from the processor, mix in the sour cream, season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until serving.
- In a heavy base soup pot heat a good drizzle of olive oil and add the minced ginger then add in the roast onion, garlic & chick peas and sauté for 2 min. Next incorporate the roast pumpkin, combine then pour in the stock & bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the juice of 1 – 2 lemons & reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 to 15 min.
- Finally blend the soup until smooth, taste & season with salt & pepper if required and serve with a generous swirl of beetroot sour cream.