Roasted Pumpkin, Garlic and Thyme Soup

This is an incredible delicious Roasted Pumpkin, Garlic and Thyme soup. It is thick and creamy and full of lovely roasted flavours.

It does have a bulb of garlic but it does not have an overpowering garlic taste. It gently comes through. There is a stronger thyme flavour than anything. Since I love thyme I really love this soup.

I also had a small piece of cauliflower left so roasted that up too. I love including cauliflower in soups because it makes the texture velvety smooth and creamy.

It is easy to make and doesn't use many dishes so it is easy to clean up afterwards.

Roasted Pumpkin, Garlic and Thyme Soup

Ingredients
1 whole garlic bulb
2 tablespoons olive oil
450gm pumpkin or butternut squash
1/4 piece of cauliflower
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion finely chopped
600ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Take a piece of aluminium foil large enough to wrap a bulb of garlic. Place the bulb in the centre then pour 1 tablespoon of oil over it sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste wrap it up and place on a large roasting tin.

Peel and deseed the pumpkin, then cut the flesh into large chunks. Toss the pumpkin and cauliflower in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Place in the roasting tin in a single layer and cook in preheated oven for 35-40minutes.

Heat up olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until soft. 

Add the stock a few spoonfuls at a time then add the remainder.

When the pumpkin and cauliflower has browned remove from roasting tin and add to the saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Open the garlic package and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle break up garlic bulbs then on a chopping board press down on each until the garlic pulp squeezes out.

Remove the soup from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Stir in the garlic pulp.

Transfer to a food processor or blender in batches and process to a puree.

Pour into bowls and serve.

Pork Wonton Soup

I found this Pork Wonton Soup recipe in that wonderful Woolworths Fresh magazine.  It is very simple and easy to make and very delicious.

I didn't have any bok choy which the original recipe calls for so used broccoli and mushrooms instead.

The wonton wrappers were purchased from a Korean supermarket which was a few blocks away from where I work so easy to get. I couldn't find them in my local supermarket.

Pork Wonton Soup Recipe

Ingredients
200gm pork mince
5 whole chestnuts finely chopped
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 green shallots finely chopped
1 tsp cornflour
24 gow gee wrappers
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups cold water
¼ cup salt-reduced soy sauce
2 tspns sesame oil
4 large mushrooms chopped
¼ broccoli cut into smaller pieces


Method
1. Combine mince, chestnuts, shallots and oyster sauce in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Mix cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water to make a smooth paste. 

 

 3. Place three gow gee wonton wrappers on the bench top. Put a teaspoon of pork mixture into the centre of each wrapper, brush edges with cornflour mixture then bring up corners to form a sack and repeat (as above).

 4. Pour stock and water into a large deep saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and wontons.

5. Cook for 3 then add broccoli and mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.

6. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

Cauliflower and Zucchini Soup

I found the Cauliflower Soup recipe which is the foundation to this recipe in a wonderful cookbook called The Soup Cookbook. I then added a few different veggies as they were in my fridge and wanted a bit more flavour then just cauliflower.

This recipe is so simple and easy to make and is lovely and velvety in consistency and tastes like melted butter in your mouth.

I highly recommend your try it. It's so easy I promise.

Cauliflower and Zucchini Soup 

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive
1 large onion roughly chopped
½ large zucchini or 1 small chopped
½ cauliflower head cut into small florets
¼ red pepper chopped
650ml vegetable stock
Rock salt and cracked pepper

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, zucchini and red capsicum stirring frequently for 10 minutes taking care not to allow the vegetables to colour.

Cut the cauliflower into florets and cut the stalk into small pieces. Add to the pan and sauté with the other vegetables for 2-3 minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

Transfer to a food processor or blender and process to a puree in batches if necessary.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding rock salt and cracked pepper.

Enjoy.