Autumn has already knocked on the doors of our dorm rooms: the nights are getting colder, sundresses are giving way to sweaters, and our favorite TV shows have been replaced by yet another round of reading for tomorrowâs class. In the whirlwind of studies returning to our lives, itâs easy to forget about our own needs and about spending quality time with ourselves. To help with this challenge, weâre offering our readers a simple recipe for this fall: it doesnât require advanced cooking skills, yet itâs the perfect excuse to carve out a little time for yourself â or to share a warm meal with those close to you.
Pumpkin Cream Soup
Ingredients
| 1 whole pumpkin (about 4-5 pounds) | What to look for: butternut squash, sugar (pie) pumpkin. something small, sweet, and âmeatyâ-â NOT large cartoon-looking pumpkins. Big pumpkins are watery and are not that tastyâ itâs a headache. How to pick: look for small, but heavy for their |
1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped |
What to look for: an orange, maybe more red-ish colorâ not yellow carrots.Â
How to pick: look for a real-looking carrotâ donât need to be washed and all-perfect, but should be firm and not bend too much (i.e. stay straight, then breakâ not go back and forth), but itâs not that crucialâ they donât have much of a bright taste, we mostly add carrots for vitamins. đ° |
1-2 onion, chopped |
What to look for: sweet kinds of onions (they usually have some sort of description about which ones are sweeter on the displayâ ask a worker if you donât see one).
How to pick: look for smaller, heavier ones. |
3-5 potatoes, peeled and chopped |
What to look for: smaller, golden ones.
How to pick: little to no âeyesâ and âscarsâ, firm, heavy. Do not choose big and very hard onesâ they are the best for roasting and frying. |
| 2-3 bell peppers, chopped | What to look for: red or orange, can be smaller or bigger onesâ the latter are usually sweeter.
How to pick: bell peppers should be shiny, firm, NOT soft, if you gently flick it, it should be fine and make a clearish sound. |
| 1 garlic | What to look for: a young-looking, firm glove. Itâs fine if it has a lot of layers to itâ we will peel it later!, or if itâs dirty or not presentable in this respect. Just make sure the tail is also firm (can be a little dry!), and none of the parts of the glove gives when you press on it with your thumb. |
| 1 pack heavy cream (13 oz) | The more % fat they contain, the creamier and smoother our pumpkin soup will be. The fatter your heavy cream is, the smaller are the chances for it to curl in our hot soup, too! If you donât see a percentage of fat anywhere on the pack, go for âheavy whipping creamâ that does not contain added sugarâ it will work well! |
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F. To keep the cleanup to a minimum, you can use a disposable foil roasting pan and pop it into the oven to warm up while it preheats.
While the oven is heating, we need to prepare all our vegetables. Once everything is washed â except for the garlic â we can move on to the trickiest part: the pumpkin!
To keep it steady and avoid slipping, place a damp kitchen towel (or even a clean T-shirt!) under the pumpkin. Cut off the top and bottom â those parts arenât useful for us â and slice the pumpkin in half. Scoop out all the seeds and stringy fibers, leaving only the flesh. Chop the halves into rough chunks; thereâs no need to peel the pumpkin.
Carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and bell peppers get the same treatment: peel them if needed and cut them into large pieces.
Roast
Generously drizzle all the vegetables in the foil pan with oil (olive oil is best) and season to taste â salt, pepper, smoked paprika, or any spices you love. Roast for about 1 hour, until everything is soft and caramelized. If the other vegetables are ready but the pumpkin still resists the fork, take the cooked vegetables out and let the pumpkin finish roasting on its own until tender.
Roasting brings out their sweetness, adds a touch of caramelization, and saves you a lot of stovetop time
Blend and Simmer
Remove the vegetables from the oven and let them cool slightly. Scoop the pumpkin flesh out of the skins â itâs much easier to do after roasting than before. Transfer all the vegetables to a pot or blender, add the heavy cream, and blend until smooth.
Place the mixture over low heat so the flavors can meld together. If you like a thinner soup, you can stir in some hot broth at this stage, but itâs completely optional.
Garnish your soup and serve it to yourself and your loved ones. Enjoy!