Mu pumpkin waiting to be carved

With Halloween fast approaching and a large pumpkin waiting to be carved, I decided to try my hand at making Pumpkin (Squash) soup with the flesh rather than wasting it.

My Halloween Pussy Cat

Not being particularly artistic, I was pleased with my carving of a witch’s cat which glowed nicely in the dark (I had to hide in our boiler room to see what it looked like when lit).   I don’t always carve pumpkins but with the grandchildren arriving for the weekend, I thought I would surprise them with my efforts.

I was left with a nice bowl of pumpkin flesh and not much time to make soup so I decided to pop it in my slow cooker for ease.

After putting the flesh in the slow cooker, I added two sliced onions, a large bag of frozen vegetable stock from my supply in the freezer, a good sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper, and four generous teaspoons of ginger powder, topped it up with water and left the soup to simmer away for a few hours.  I have to admit it smelled delicious whilst cooking.

After blitzing, I added a can of coconut milk/cream which turned it into a lovely thick creamy soup with a decidedly tangy warmth from the ginger.  Hubby (official soup taster in our house) reckoned it was superb and when he had a bowlful the next day, I added a few crispy bacon lardons which he says made it perfect.  Six frozen bags of soup in the freezer made from the flesh of just one pumpkin.

Deliciously warming Pumpkin Soup

I’m not wasting the pumpkin seeds either – washed, dried in the oven, they make tasty, crunchy little snacks as well as being ideal for sprinkling over soups, salads etc.

NB:  All of the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.