
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 small organic butternut Pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into pieces
- 3 whole organic garlic cloves
- 1 organic red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 tsp organic cumin seeds
- 3 tbs rice bran or vegetable oil
- 25 liters (2.5 pints) organic vegetable stock
- 1-2 tsp chilli paste
- ¼ cup soy cream or natural yogurt (optional)
For the crunchy maple croutons:
- 4 thick slices of multi-grain or rye bread, diced into cubes
(Going gluten-free? Use gluten-free bread like Udi’s or Glutino to make your own croutons. Click here for more.) - 1 tbs maple syrup
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
Instructions:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/392°F
- Toss the organic pumpkin pieces, whole garlic cloves and red onion with the oil and cumin seeds until evenly coated.
- Transfer to a large baking tray and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden (shake the pan occasionally to avoid sticking and to move the pieces around a little to cook evenly).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool just slightly. Transfer the roasted pumpkin pieces and wedges of onion to a large pot with any pan juices. Squeeze the garlic from their skins and add to the pot with the stock and chilli paste.
- Bring to a gentle boil and allow to simmer for just a minute of two, remove from the heat. Using a stick blender or in batches in a food processor blend the soup until smooth.
- Return the soup to a gentle heat and allow to warm through. Stirring add the soy cream or yogurt once warm and over a low heat allow to gently heat through and thicken making sure not to boil the soup as it may curdle.
- Next prepare the crunchy maple croutons. Toss the cubes of bread with the maple syrup, olive oil, paprika and ground salt and pepper until evenly coated.
- Heat a good fryingpan over a medium heat, add the cubes of bread and fry for 3-4 minutes tossing the pan frequently until crunchy and golden on all sides.
- Remove from the pan and set aside on absorbent paper until the soup is ready.
- Serve this tasty soup in warm bowls topped with crunchy maple croutons and a little drizzle of olive oil if you like.
Recipe courtesy of Veggie Num Num.