Roasted Pumpkin and Coriander Soup

By Kevin Woodford

All recipes by Kevin Woodford

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin
2 red peppers
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tspn juniper seeds
100g celery, chopped
2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
Large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
Pinch of paprika

2 tbspns Olive oil
Olive oil

Usually the darker green the oil, the richer the flavour.
- Extra virgin olive oil is good for drizzling on salads and should never be heated as this destroys the fine properties
- Lighter olive oil is good for adding to bread, or to flavour a salad or marinade for chicken, meat, fish or vegetables. Lighter olive oil can be gently heated and added to marinades and baking.
Salt

Salt

Consider tablesalt, sea salt or crystals.

Sea salt’s pronounced and salty flavour means less is required to season food.
Freshly ground Black peppercorns
Black peppercorns

Best used as a condiment.
They can be lightly crushed and used to spice up a creamy sauce or to coat fillet steak or chicken breasts.
- Although it might seem odd, grinding black pepper over a bowl of strawberries enhances the flavour of the fruit.
- Pepper that is pre-ground is not fresh tasting and often has other ingredients mixed in.
- Choose the type of mill that suits you, and if you want coarser pepper you can loosen the screw on the top of the mill or crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar
2 tbspns Crème fraiche
Crème fraiche

The French version of soured cream, it's twice as rich, and thicker than the British version of sour cream.
- It can be used to lace soups, sauces and stews or it can be spooned over puddings and stirred into sweet dishes. Great for adding to leftovers, as it is quite rich and can withstand being heated.
- Plain full-fat yoghurt can be used instead of crème fraîche in cooking as long as you heat it gently – adding a little cornflour, which can help to prevent it from separating.
- The best crème fraîche comes from a strictly controlled area of Normandy called Isigny-sur-Mer and it’s sold in larger supermarkets in the UK.

Instructions

Quarter the pumpkin, remove the seeds (don’t discard them, they are lovely when roasted and make a great nibble). Cut the red peppers in half, remove the seeds and place them with the pumpkin onto a roasting tray. Drizzle the flesh with a little olive oil and place into a pre heated oven set at gas mark 6/200C/400F and roast for about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Scrape the flesh from the skin of the pumpkin and place to one side along with the roasted pepper.
Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan; add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, juniper seeds, celery and red chillies. Cook for a few minutes until the onions and celery are soft. Add the pumpkin and red peppers, the stock and finally the chopped coriander. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then process the soup in a blender to make it smooth.
Serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche over the top sprinkled with a little paprika.

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