Pumpkin SoupRecipe: Good for the Soul

Term 6 students of our bachelor's program in culinary arts were tasked with designing a soup recipe, testing it in the training kitchens, and finally taking beautiful photos of the finished product. They have put a lot of thought into suggesting ingredients that are easy to find and providing simple, step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow, no matter their level of expertise in the kitchen.

Ingredients

• Pumpkin (can be substituted with butternut squash), 2 kg
• Carrots, 2 medium peeled and chopped
• Celeriac, 150 g
• Garlic, 3 cloves, peeled and cut in half
• Rosemary, a sprig
• Yellow onions, 200 g
• Parmesan cheese, 50 g (optional)
• Chicken or vegetable stock, 1.5 l (easier to use powder)
• Cream, 200 ml (35%fat)
• Salted butter, 30 g
• Parsley, as garnish
• Paprika powder, a sprinkling as garnish
• Slice of toasted bread
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C° (If you don’t have an oven, you can peel and chop the pumpkins then finish in pan with all the vegetables by heating up the olive oil).
2. Cut the pumpkin and deseed (keep the seeds for garnish). Rub the pumpkin with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and put the rosemary on top.
3. Place the seasoned pumpkin in the oven for around one hour (it depends on how thick the cut is). Take out once it is soft.
4. Drip olive oil into the pan over medium high heat, then toast the onion, chopped carrots, and garlic that has been roasted with the pumpkin until soft. Add in the roasted pumpkin that has been peeled from the skin. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and any other spices that you like to add.
5. Toast for about 3-5 minutes until the vegetables start sweating and releasing a nice odor (optional: add parmesan cheese, then mix well).
6. Add the chicken stock and let it simmer on a low to medium heat until the consistency is ready to be blended (add more stock if it’s too thick).
7. Pour in the cream and butter (can add more olive oil optionally). Afterwards, start to blend with hand mixer until smooth. If you don’t have a hand blender, you can use a normal blender.
8. (Optional: Fry or chop the parsley as desired for garnish, dry and roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven for 10 minutes at 180° C, but first season it with olive oil, salt, and pepper, to give it a rich taste.
9. Pour the pumpkin soup into the dish, drizzle some of the cream on top and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds and parsley as a finishing touch.
10. Eat with a slice of toasted baguette/bread.