Pumpkin Soup
I know, I know. That’s not a pumpkin! It’s actually a winter squash called a zapallo, which despite being dark green on the outside, is the closest thing to a pumpkin down here. And it’s the same thing I used last year to make my fresh pumpkin pie. The flavor is very similar.
This recipe is loosely based on one from Allrecipes.com, but without the garlic and heavy cream. I liked the chunkiness of this soup. If you don’t you can always puree the leftovers to make a creamy soup like I did. This also makes for a great wintertime snack. I often will heat up a mug of soup and sip it as I work on the computer.
Ingredients:
1 Pumpkin, fresh
2 cups Homemade chicken broth
2-3 slices Chunky homemade bread, toasted and broken into large chunks
1 1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Nutmeg
1/2 t. Pepper
2 Bay leaves
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
Cut a circular hole in the top of the pumpkin/zapallo, as you would to make a jack o’lantern. Remove the lid, and scrape the stringy fibers and seeds out of the middle. Save seeds to roast later if you like. Place pumpkin/zapallo into a baking dish. If it bottoms out during the baking process, this way you won’t lose the soup.
Heat the broth on the stovetop. Add herbs and spices. Pour broth blend into the pumpkin/zapallo, then top with the toasted bread chunks.
Bake for an hour and a half. Before serving, carefully scoop pumpkin/zapallo flesh from the sides of the pumpkin (taking care not to pierce the sides).
After we had eaten, I took the leftovers and pureed it all together, which totally changes the dish. I thought it might add for some variety.
Enjoy!
Yum! I love that you don’t remove the pumpkin flesh until after baking, when it is already soft. That sounds so much easier than cutting the pumpkin into small chucks precooking (plus, if all goes well, you get a neat thematic tureen!).
I know. I have to say that was one of the things I loved most about this recipe, and I should have included it in the post itself!
Last year, when I used a zapallo to make pie, I hacked the thing into pieces before pureeing it. I can guarantee I won’t be doing that again! It’s SO MUCH easier to scrape out once cooked. But they do take a long time to bake, so anything involving a large winter squash requires some advance planning!