Such is the case of my pumpkin soup. It's very simple. Here are the ingredients and the no-frills cooking method that can serve four to five people:
INGREDIENTS
- a quarter of pumpkin, a.k.a. calabasa, peeled and chopped into cubes
- a box of full cream milk
- a large onion (yellow or red)
- about 6 pieces of garlic
- chicken cube
- salt and pepper
- fresh basil leaves, at least two for every serving bowl
TO COOK
Boil the chopped pumpkin in fresh water until they are tender. When it boils, add the chicken cube, chopped onion and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Why chicken cube? Because I don't always have chicken stock and the inevitable "debris" in chicken stock makes the final pumpkin soup looking kinda muddy.
After boiling, let everything to cool a bit before putting in a blender or osterizer in small batches. First puree the boiled pumpkin, then you may opt to liquify it for just a minute towards the end. Pour the pureed batch in a cooking pot and continue pureeing the rest.
When all is ready, return the pot to the stove and season the soup with salt and pepper. Minutes before it boils again, add the creamer and stir constantly and make sure to lower or turn off the heat before the boiling peaks again, otherwise, the cream tends to cluster and turn cloudy. Although stirring will make the cream blend in the soup well, I just think not letting it boil anew is better.
Pour in serving bowls and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Make sure to add the fresh basil when the person is really about to sip the soup, otherwise the leaves will turn black, wilt and cook. The flavor will be the same but it won't look as nice as in the picture. Enjoy!
