A good dish is the accumulation of many details and gathering layers of flavour to create depth and integrity. The pumpkin actually requires a reasonable amount of assistance to give it substance. I was once asked, ‘What makes your pumpkin soup better?’ Two things: taste and texture.
This perfectly simple One-pot Pumpkin Soup taken from one of mum’s favourite recipes has both! Soups are a wonderful dinner option when you’re short on time and need to use up the veggies in the bottom of the crisper. And a good soup tastes even better the next day, so it makes the perfect lunch, too.
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 3/4 small ripe Queensland blue pumpkin, or any firm, orange-fleshed variety
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 150g salted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 75ml white wine
- 750ml chicken stock
Method
Cut the pumpkin into large wedges and remove the seeds and skin. Cut it into even-sized cubes.
In a large saucepan over low heat, cook the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Increase the heat to medium and add the pumpkin. Cook until the butter splits and the pumpkin starts to colour. Add the wine and cook until reduced to a syrup consistency. Add the stock and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is very soft.
For safety, allow the soup to cool a little and then transfer to a high speed blender to purée. Pass through a fine sieve – the finer the texture, the better it will taste. Season with extra salt to taste.
Recipe taken from Best Kitchen Basics by Mark Best
Best Kitchen Basics beats the revolutionary drum in the domestic kitchen – no longer are high-end techniques or recipes the sole domain of multi award-winning restaurants like Best’s Sydney fine diner Marque and his bistro Pei Modern in Melbourne and Sydney. Here, Mark Best breaks it down, putting the individual elements of each recipe into the home cook’s hands and empowering them to think differently. It includes 100 original recipes built around 30 accessible ingredients – from eggplant and pumpkin to chocolate and eggs.
You can buy Best Kitchen Basics at cooked.com.
Published by Hardie Grant Books.
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