As we experience the last cold weather here in South Africa before Summer arrives, it seemed appropriate to take advantage of the beautiful pumpkins that are filling our grocery shelves. Our normal limited choice of traditional pumpkins has suddenly given way to pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, and I couldn't resist these little beauties. Pumpkins go hand in hand with the month of October, Halloween, and falling leaves, and to mark these occasions for my friends in the Northern Hemisphere, and for those of us in South Africa dressed in our Winter woolies, here are two recipes to keep our hearts and tummies warm.
Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and roast with a sprinkling of Coriander and Cumin until golden brown, and then add this to sauteed celery, onions and chicken stock for a full roasted taste. Blend the soup until thick and creamy and add milk or water to make it to the consistency of your liking. I added the juice of one nectarine to add a delicious sweetness to this spicy and aromatic soup. Swirl with a dollap of Crème fraîche, cream or natural yogurt, and serve hot decorated with chopped greens.
Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Citrus
Roast these little gems in the oven for 15 minutes to cook the soft juicy inners and then stuff them with a room temperature salad of chickpeas, corn, red onion, peppers, green beans, coriander and rice of your choice. I used a beautiful Venere Black Rice which is called "the rice of the emperor " in China. This nutritious black rice is cultivated in the city of Novara in the northwestern region of Piemonte in Italy. Another rice which I absolutely love using is Red Rice which has a nutty flavour, with a high nutritional value. Whatever your choice of rice this is a great salad which I normally serve as a rainbow salad topped with a coriander, lime and chilli dressing, and topped with roasted cashews, sunflower and pumpkin seeds .
Moroccan Salad with Mini Pumpkins