Soups
Hokkaido pumpkin soup (creamy, made with roasted pumpkin)
A creamy Hokkaido pumpkin soup is made from pumpkin roasted in the oven with its skin on, with onion, garlic and, if you like, carrot, then covered with stock and blended smooth. Cream goes in only at the end, and you can leave it out.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Hokkaido is the most practical pumpkin for soup. Its flesh is sweet and nutty, and its thin skin does not need peeling. Roasting the pumpkin first, instead of only boiling it, gives the soup a deeper, slightly caramelised taste. We finish each bowl with a spoonful of crème fraîche, toasted pumpkin seeds, a few drops of pumpkin seed oil and herbs.
Method
- 01
Heat the oven to 200 °C. Wash the pumpkin, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and fibres with a spoon. Leave the skin on. Cut the flesh into pieces of about 3 cm.
- 02
Line a tray with baking paper. Spread out the pumpkin, the onion cut into quarters, the carrot in rounds and the whole garlic cloves in their skins. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and toss.
- 03
Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft and starting to brown at the edges. Turn the vegetables once halfway through.
- 04
Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes, until they start to pop. Tip them onto a plate straight away so they do not burn.
- 05
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a pot and squeeze the garlic out of its skins. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- 06
Blend the soup with a stick blender until completely smooth. If it is too thick, add a little stock or water. Stir in the cream, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and only reheat it, without boiling.
- 07
Ladle the soup into bowls. Put a spoonful of crème fraîche in the middle, scatter over the seeds, add a few drops of pumpkin seed oil and finish with herbs.
Without cream: leave the cream out and use 200 ml less stock. The soup will still be thick and creamy. For a softer texture, blend in one boiled potato or stir in a spoonful of olive oil at the end.
Do not heat the pumpkin seed oil. Heat dulls its flavour, so it only goes on the finished soup in the bowl.
Carrot makes the soup sweeter and even more orange. If you like more warmth, roast a piece of ginger with the pumpkin or add a pinch of curry powder.
Frequently asked
- Do you need to peel Hokkaido pumpkin?
- No. Hokkaido has a thin skin that softens in the oven and blends completely into the soup. Just wash the pumpkin and remove the seeds. The skin also gives the soup a deeper orange colour. Other kinds, such as butternut squash, do need peeling.
- How do you make pumpkin soup creamy without cream?
- Most of the creaminess comes from the pumpkin itself, as long as you blend it well and do not add too much stock. One boiled potato blended in with the pumpkin also helps, as does a spoonful of butter or olive oil at the end. For a gently sweet taste, add 100 ml of coconut milk. With vegetable stock and no crème fraîche, the soup is vegan.
- How long does pumpkin soup keep, and can you freeze it?
- It keeps for 3 days in a closed container in the fridge. You can freeze it for 3 months, ideally without the cream. Add the cream after thawing, while you reheat the soup. Always add the seeds and crème fraîche in the bowl.
- Where can I taste Hokkaido pumpkin soup in Bratislava?
- At Saint Paul Bistrot in Fresh Market, Rožňavská 1a, 1st floor, by Trnavské mýto. Our soup of the day changes and costs €3.90. You will find which one is on today on the board. In our lunch menus from €8.90 you can choose it alongside your main dish. We also use Hokkaido pumpkin in the Tekvica & kozí syr galette (pumpkin and goat cheese) for €10.90: roasted pumpkin, goat cheese, garlic, rosemary, egg, honey and pumpkin seeds on a 100% buckwheat batter. We are open Monday to Friday 10:00-17:00 and Saturday 10:00-16:00.
Rather taste than cook?
Bistrot lunch, galettes, crêpes and Sorre cider: Fresh Market, 1st floor, Monday to Saturday.