Vintage Nettles

Because my Mum gave us a third of the HUUUAAAGENESSS pumpkin that she bought at the Crystal Brook Craft Market last weekend and I had to do SOMETHING with it.

Turns out my something was pretty FREAKEN delicious :D Recipe improvised by me from a few I’d checked out online and then largely ignored. You know, as I do. xD Shared SUPER FAST to reciprocate my friend Cat sharing her Ripoff Zuppa Toscana (from Olive Garden) recipe yesterday. :D

Roast Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients (serves 8 approx)

• 2kg your choice of pumpkin, deseeded, peeled, coarsely chopped into even(ish) sized pieces
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 80ml (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large brown onions, halved, coarsely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves (minimum), 4 whole, 4 crushed
• 7 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 cup white wine
• Extra virgin olive oil
• (Optional) Pinch of smoked sea salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Combine the pumpkin, rosemary and half the oil in a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper, & pop four of the garlic cloves and half your coarsely chopped onion in between the pumpkin pieces. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until tender. You can test this by popping a knife into a thicker piece of pumpkin and if it goes in and out easily without force from you, its time! :D
2. When the pumpkin is done, remove from the oven.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion, garlic, a little ground pepper (& the smoked sea salt) and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until onion softens. Add the roast pumpkin, stock & white wine and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin starts to easily fall apart (can take around half an hour). Remove from heat.
4. When cool, either blend the mixture in a blender in stages, then pour into a clean saucepan – OR – grab a stick mixer and ‘blend’ directly in the saucepan.
5. To serve, heat soup up in saucepan on a medium heat, then ladle into bowls. Season with salt & pepper, garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche (or thickened cream if you’re feeling a little more decadent) in the middle and sprinkle with finely chopped spring onion. Serve with crusty bread.

EDIT! Red aka Draganin totally sleuthed it out! I had no idea what kind of pumpkin it was – just that it was LOOOOOONG and had a mottled ‘Queensland Blue’ skin to it. Bec guessed it was possibly a Queensland Blue crossed with a trombone. BUT! It looks like it was a Gramma Pumpkin. MUST FIND MORE! (or try and grow them myself O_O;; – NOT LIKELY! xD).