Pumpkin Soup with a Spanish Twist

This pumpkin soup is inspired by Spanish flavours through the use of olive oil and smoked paprika. Orange, apple, ginger and spices give the soup a fresh, aromatic and slightly sweet character.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 15 minutes
Cooking: approximately 35 minutes
Total time: approximately 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash of approximately 1 kg before cleaning
• 2 carrots
• 2 cm fresh ginger
• 1 apple
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 orange
• 1 star anise
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• approximately 1 litre water
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Cut the vegetables
   Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes. Peel the carrots and cut them into slices.
2. Prepare the flavourings
   Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Peel the ginger and chop it finely.
3. Cut the apple
   Peel the apple, remove the core and cut the flesh into cubes.
4. Juice the orange
   Squeeze the orange and set the juice aside.

Method

1. Soften the onion and garlic
   Heat a splash of olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until soft and translucent without browning too much.
2. Cook the vegetables
   Add the squash, carrot, apple and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Cook the spices
   Add the ground coriander seeds and smoked paprika and cook for about 1 minute, until the spices become distinctly fragrant.
4. Cook the vegetables until tender
   Add the star anise and approximately 1 litre of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer the soup gently for 25–30 minutes, until the squash and carrot are completely soft.
5. Add the orange juice
   Remove the star anise. Add the orange juice and stir it into the soup.
6. Blend the soup
   Blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth. If necessary, add a small amount of hot water if the soup is too thick.
7. Season to taste
   Season the soup with salt and pepper and heat it briefly over a low heat.