Asian-Austrian Pumpkin Soup
This is an interesting fusion of Austrian and Asian flavours, which work surprisingly well together (courtesy of my Austrian friend Barbara).
Chop up some pumpkin into chunks, place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce down to a medium heat, add a bay leaf and a few juniper berries and cook till tender. Drain the pumpkin, reserving the cooking liquid for later. Fry an onion in a little olive oil, add the pumpkin pieces and stir around. In a bowl, mix together a selection of the following spices: ground nutmeg and mace, ground coriander and turmeric, ground garlic powder and a little smoked paprika. Add a little water to moisten and stir till it becomes a paste. Add to the pumpkin and stir till well coated in the spice mixture. Add some coconut milk, a vegetable stock cube, and some of the reserved cooking liquid (you can adjust the quantities of these three ingredients as you go along) and cook for a few more minutes. Whizz everything together in a blender, return to the pot to heat through. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Serve with a drizzle of roasted pumpkin seed oil and a glass of Austrian Pinot Noir, such as the lovely Cuvee Reserve Esterhazy.
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