michelle picker cooks

It’s winter here, the perfect time for soup! This one, based on a friend’s recipe, is a delicious deviation from the more usual pumpkin soups.

First roast pieces of nice sweet pumpkin and whole onions (coated in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper) in a moderate oven until they are soft. In a saucepan, melt some butter and gently fry the already roasted onions (roughly chopped) with some sliced garlic, cumin seeds, a cinnamon stick and a dried red chilli. Next add the pumpkin and enough chicken (or vegetable) stock to more than cover it, and simmer for 20 minutes. After removing the cinnamon stick and chilli, process the soup to a smooth purée then season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream and toasted pumpkin (pepita) seeds.