Pumpkin Soup With Coriander Pistou France Recipes

SPICY PUMPKIN AND CORIANDER SOUP

Steps:

• Chop up meat of pumpkin - the smaller the quicker it will cook.
• Chop up onion and garlic.
• In a large soup pot, put pumpkin, onion, garlic, red lentils (if adding), broth - simmer 5 minutes.
• Add white wine - simmer a few more minutes.
• Spray a small frypan and put in a little butter. Add ginger and coriander. medium-low heat. Add some water to make a paste. stir for a minute or so, until the aromas are all released.
• Add spice paste to soup.
• Stir and cover soup. bring to boil. lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes - or until pumpkin soft.
• Remove from heat and puree.
• Add a few twists of ground black pepper.
• Add ground red chilli pepper.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and stir through.
• Optional: Could also stir through a little sour cream or yoghurt when serving.

FRENCH PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pumpkin, the potato, and the water; stir, and then season lightly with salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the pumpkin is so soft that it comes apart, 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and purée the mixture in a food processor or with a wand mixer until smooth and uniformly blended.
• Taste for seasoning, and serve with the cheese alongside.

SOUPE AU PISTOU

Steps:

• Drain the white beans and combine with 2 quarts water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then add half the onion, half the garlic and the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add salt to taste.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and add the remaining chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the leeks and remaining garlic. Stir together for a few minutes, and add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Stir this mixture into the soup pot, add all of the remaining vegetables except the green beans, and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
• While the soup is simmering, blanch the green beans for five minutes in salted boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
• To make the pistou, mash the garlic with a generous pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Remove it and set aside. Grind the basil to a paste in the mortar, a handful at a time, then add the garlic back in and mix together well. Work in the olive oil a tablespoon at a time, then stir in the cheese.
• Add the pasta to the simmering soup about 10 minutes before serving, and cook until cooked al dente. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir the blanched green beans into the soup and heat through. Serve, adding a spoonful of pesto to each bowl for guests to stir in. Pass additional Parmesan for sprinkling.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CORIANDER AND PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/350°F/gas 4.
• Remove skin, fibres and seeds of the squash/pumpkin and cut into cubes (mine were approximately 5-6cm). (You may also want to leave the skin on and remove after roasting if this is easier with the particular squash/pumpkin you are using.) Rub the squash pieces with sunflower oil and season well with salt and pepper. Put them into a small roasting tin (skin-side down if skin wasn't removed). Roast for about 40 minutes or until tender.
• Remove squash from oven and remove skin when cool enough to handle if you haven't done so earlier. You may also want to cut squash into smaller chunks if your pieces are rather big. I didn't cut mine any smaller, as I preferred to cut my squash into smallish chunks before roasting.
• Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for about 10minutes until the onion is very soft but not browned. Add the roasted squash, and any juices from the plate and the stock. Note: I used 1.2 litres of water, but only stock cubes for 1 litre, as you have salted your squash before roasting it, and you will also add parmesan. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is ready to be liquidised.
• Meanwhile, make the PESTO:.
• Heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and shake them around until lightly toasted. Cool, reserving 1 tablespoon of seeds to garnish.
• Put the rest of the seeds into a food processor with the chilli, garlic, fresh coriander and oil. Blend to a paste. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the parmesan, seasoning to taste.
• Finish SOUP:.
• Leave the soup to cool slightly, then liquidise in batches until smooth. Note: I always use a high pan and a hand-held liquidiser, so I don't need to remove and return the soup. Return to a clean pan and bring back to a gentle simmer. Stir in 4 tablespoons of the pesto (I stirred in all of it, although it was more than 4 tablespoons, but stir in four and check how you like it)and adjust the seasoning.
• SERVE:.
• Ladle into warmed bowls and add a spoonful of sour cream, and sprinkle with the reserved pumkin seeds and coriander leaves.
• If you haven't used the whole amount of pesto before, serve it at the table, so everybody can stir in more if desired. Another possibility is to top crackers or toasted bread with it and serve together with the soup.