April Jackson’s spiced pumpkin soup
It’s pumpkin season and April Jackson is here to show us they're not just for carving! She is making the most of this season’s star squash with her delicious spiced pumpkin soup. Paired with an oozy cheese toastie, it’s Autumnal comfort food at its best.
Spiced pumpkin soup with cheese toasties
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
For the soup:750g pumpkin, peeled and choppedRapeseed oil, for drizzling30g butter1 onion, chopped6 garlic cloves, chopped1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (do not chop)Half bunch of thyme4 allspice berries1x sachet Grace Pumpkin Soup Mix500ml stock - ideally chicken but you can keep it vegetarian (you may need an extra 250ml stock if the pumpkin has little water content)200ml coconut milkSalt, to taste
For the cheese toasties (quantities for 1 toastie):Butter, for spreading2 slices of bread, about 2cm thick50g Cheddar (or Gruyère), grated1 cornichon, chopped finelyCracked black pepper, to taste45g mozzarella, thinly sliced
Method
For the Soup:
1. To make the soup, preheat the oven 220℃. Coat the pumpkin with a little rapeseed oil and sprinkle it with salt. Take a large piece of foil, spoon the pumpkin in the middle then seal up the edges to make a parcel. Place on a baking sheet then cook in the oven for about 35 minutes or until soft.
2. Whilst the pumpkin is roasting, heat the butter in a large pan over a medium-low heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic, scotch bonnet, thyme, allspice berries and a sprinkle of salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onions and garlic are soft and fragrant.
3. Mix the pumpkin soup sachet with the stock then add to the onions. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until the noodles from the soup sachet are cooked and the soup has a slight kick from the scotch bonnet.
4. Remove the allspice berries, scotch bonnet and thyme from the soup, then add the mixture to a blender along with the roasted pumpkin and blend until smooth. If the soup is too thick, adjust using extra stock. Season to taste and serve with cheese toasties.
For the Cheese Toasties:
1. Heat a frying pan. Butter both sides of the bread then place into the pan and cook on one side for about 1 minute, until golden, then flip the bread over.
2. Sprinkle over the grated cheese, chopped cornichon, some cracked black pepper and the sliced mozzarella. Top with the other slice of bread and place a heavy weight (e.g. another pan) on top. Cook on a low heat for about 3 minutes on each side until golden and the cheese has melted.
3. Slice in half and serve with the soup.