Pumpkin Soup with Sage and Hazelnuts
This comforting autumnal soup is inspired by traditional Italian ravioli di zucca burro e salvia or pumpkin ravioli with sage butter. It is nourishing and creamy and vegan-friendly. I originally made this with creme fraiche but one day I ran out and replaced it with coconut milk, which turned out to be even more delicious and has the added bonus of being vegan.
In the past, I always used Asian flavours with coconut milk but this happy accident opened my mind up to a whole new world of flavour combinations as the coconut milk in this recipe sits perfectly with the more traditional European flavour profiles of sage and hazelnuts.
Nourishing Soups
This is such a nourishing soup: Pumpkins are rich in antioxidant betacarotene, Vitamins A and C, Potassium and fibre. Hazelnuts are a great source of Vitamin E and good fats. Safe has been known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties since ancient times - it was traditionally associated with memory function and wisdom. Hence modern-day expressions such as ‘sage advice’
This is such a great recipe for Thanksgiving or Halloween when I love to serve this soup in cute little individual pumpkins so you can eat the bowl as well. Because of its delicate sweet flavour, I have been successfully been able to get even my fussy six-year-old to eat this soup.
Pumpkin Soup with Sage and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
Serves 4 generously
1kg of pumpkin flesh
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, worked into a paste with some salt
A handful of sage leaves, chopped and more to garnish
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
500ml of vegetable stock/broth (or chicken stock)
100ml of coconut milk
A generous handful of hazelnuts, toasted and halved
Optional: hollowed-out small pumpkins to serve.
Method
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and chop into manageable large chunks. Steam for 20 minutes or until tender. I use my Miele countertop steam oven, in which a small hollowed-out whole pumpkin also takes 20 minutes at 100C.
Meanwhile, in a pot, gently fry the shallots in some olive oil until translucent, add the garlic and chopped sage leaves, being careful not to let the mixture brown or crisp. If you are not vegan you could add a little butter at this stage. Season with salt and pepper.
Once the pumpkin flesh is cooked you should be able to easily scrape the flesh away from the skin using the back of a spoon. Add the flesh to the pot, stir and add the maple syrup. Gradually pour in the stock and simmer.
At this point, I use a handheld mixer to get a smooth silky texture. Lastly, add the coconut milk and gently simmer for no more than 5 minutes. If you are making this soup ahead of time, then wait to add the coconut milk until just before you serve so that it does not split.
Season and serve hot in little hollowed-out pumpkins or bowls topped with a generous handful of toasted hazelnut and sage leaves.
References
Medicinal and biological potential of pumpkin: an updated review
Mukesh Yadav (a1) (a2), Shalini Jain (a3), Radha Tomar (a1), G. B. K. S. Prasad (a4) and Hariom Yadav
THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING HAZELNUTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BLOOD LIPID PROFILES, CORONARY HEART DISEASE, AND CANCER RISKS D.G. Richardson