Pumpkins and chillies
Pumpkins and chillies
by Elda Abramson

available as a print from
Pauntley Prints

Roast pumpkin soup with Ancho chilli and lime

Taken from "Vegetable Heaven" by Catherine Mason
(Pauntley Prints, 2002, ISBN: 0-9534879-3-6, price £20.00)
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This smoky, spicy, colourful soup makes a perfect lunch for a cool autumn day. The dried Ancho chilli used to flavour this recipe is popular in Mexican cooking. Large, fruity, smoky and not too ferociously hot, it is an excellent ingredient, and can be found in Mexican food shops or the specialist food sections of the better supermarkets. If you can't find it, use a small amount of any fresh red chilli you can get hold of, added at stage 3 below.
  • 15 g butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 650 g diced pumpkin or squash, weighed after preparation
  • 400 g onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
  • 1 dried Ancho chilli
  • 900 ml well-flavoured vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 fresh lime, finely grated zest and juice
  • 120 ml single cream
  • 2 tablespoons (about 15 g) chopped fresh coriander leaves

Oven temperature: 220°C (425°F, gas mark 7)

  1. Heat the oven and put the butter and olive oil in a large roasting tin in the oven to warm. When the butter has browned slightly, add the pumpkin, onions and garlic to the roasting tin, then stir to coat thoroughly. Cover with foil or a well-fitting lid and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return the tin to the oven for a further 5 minutes to brown the vegetables and drive off some of the steam.
  2. While the vegetables are roasting, deal with the chilli. Remove the stalk and seeds, then put it in the oven for 5 minutes to roast slightly – it brings out the fragrance. Remove the chilli from the oven, place it in a bowl and pour on boiling water. Leave it to soak for 20 minutes, then drain.
  3. Put the roasted vegetables and soaked chilli in the food processor and whiz until smooth. If the purée is too stiff to mix easily, add a little of the vegetable stock. Add the salt, all the lime zest and about half the lime juice. Taste, and add more lime juice if necessary. Put the purée into a pan and gradually stir in the vegetable stock and cream. Heat, stirring, until the soup is warm, but don't let it boil. Stir in the coriander just before serving.
SERVES 4 FOR LUNCH, 6 AS A STARTER

Recipe copyright © 2002 Catherine Mason | other sample recipes