Italian pumpkin soup with fresh Rosemary
As the autumn slowly turns into winter I always get different cravings. Where in the summer I eat a lot of cooled down and raw food in the winter I crave for some more comfort food. Meals where all ingredients are mixed together so well it just gives fantastic taste in every bite.
In Holland there is a rich tradition in winter of eating all kinds of stews with potatoes in the lead. Potatoes used to be most widely available in the winter together with carrots, kale, onions and a few others. A few combinations of these ingredients form the base for many of the traditional Dutch stews. While this pumpkin soup some most definitely isn’t a Dutch stew, in my opinion it gives the same kind of comfort. Just eat a bit of this soup during the cold days and you will feel right at home.
This is a real winter soup and most ingredients you can still use from your own harvest even a long way in the autumn. Unfortunately my city garden isn’t as big and I’m only able to harvest fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme and celery now.
This Recipe is part of our Winter menu which you can find here: Winter Menu
This lovely pumpkin soup will warm you up from the inside. I use fresh herbs from the garden which are still available as much as possible, right now it’s celery, basil, and rosemary, sometimes I add fresh thyme as well.
Soup
1 medium sized pumpkin, about 1,5-2 kg
few stalks of celery
small of fresh basil (preferably fresh)
4 stalks of fresh rosemary
2 large onions
3 cloves of garlic
Vegetable stock 1L
Little bit of red wine
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Croutons
Stale (sourdough) bread to toast
Olive oil, salt, pepper and 1 garlic clove
1
Start by preheating the oven at 200 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in rough cubes, add to a large pot together with 3 cloves of garlic cut in small slices, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Mix well and empty the pot on a baking sheet or tray in the oven. The pumpkin will need about 40 minutes in a preheated oven or until soft and a bit browned.
2
In the meantime cut the onion, and all the herbs, I normally leave the rosemary and thyme as stalks so you can pick them out later. Put in the same pot you used for the pumpkin and start of with the onions and some oil. Fry until it starts to darken and now add the fresh herbs, fry again until it starts to darken and now add some red wine. If the liquid is gone add the vegetable stock and start simmering with the lid closed. Leave until the pumpkin is ready.
3
Now cut some bread in 1cm cubes, preferably sourdough but anything else is fine as well. Put in a skillet or oven tray and add some oil, salt, pepper and 2 grated/finely cut cloves of garlic. Now put it in the oven.
I prefer to use oven proof skillet as this is most easy to clean again and as I have a steel skilled it is always a bit oiled already which makes it even easier.
Ingredients
Soup
1 medium sized pumpkin, about 1,5-2 kg
few stalks of celery
small of fresh basil (preferably fresh)
4 stalks of fresh rosemary
2 large onions
3 cloves of garlic
Vegetable stock 1L
Little bit of red wine
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Croutons
Stale (sourdough) bread to toast
Olive oil, salt, pepper and 1 garlic clove
Directions
1
Start by preheating the oven at 200 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in rough cubes, add to a large pot together with 3 cloves of garlic cut in small slices, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Mix well and empty the pot on a baking sheet or tray in the oven. The pumpkin will need about 40 minutes in a preheated oven or until soft and a bit browned.
2
In the meantime cut the onion, and all the herbs, I normally leave the rosemary and thyme as stalks so you can pick them out later. Put in the same pot you used for the pumpkin and start of with the onions and some oil. Fry until it starts to darken and now add the fresh herbs, fry again until it starts to darken and now add some red wine. If the liquid is gone add the vegetable stock and start simmering with the lid closed. Leave until the pumpkin is ready.
3
Now cut some bread in 1cm cubes, preferably sourdough but anything else is fine as well. Put in a skillet or oven tray and add some oil, salt, pepper and 2 grated/finely cut cloves of garlic. Now put it in the oven.
I prefer to use oven proof skillet as this is most easy to clean again and as I have a steel skilled it is always a bit oiled already which makes it even easier.
