Rich and Creamy Hokkaido Soup

Rich and Creamy Hokkaido Soup

As the Halloween is nearly here, the second in our series of Halloween dedicated recipes is: Rich and Creamy Hokkaido Soup

The ingredients bellow are for 2-3 portions, depending on the serving bowls or plates.

Ingredients for Hokkaido Soup:

• 1 Hokkaido pumpkin, cut into chunks and seeds removed (there is no need for the peel to be removed)
• 1-2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• vegetable stock or water (the quantity depends on the desired thickness)
• 2 small sweet potatoes, cut into small chunks
• 1 red pepper, cut in half
• 1-2 medium carrots
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 table spoon olive oil to brush the pumpkin

To Serve:

• sour-cream (optional)
• salt & pepper
• croutons (optional)
• roasted pumpkin seeds  (optional)

How to make Hokkaido Soup:

• Preheat the oven to 180 ℃ and then line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set it aside.
• Firstly, prepare the pumpkin. If you decide to keep the peel, then make sure to wash it thoroughly in order to remove all the dirt. With a sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in small chunk and remove all the seeds and strings. Then brush it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Finally, spread it on the prepared baking tray and bake until soften.
• Secondly, cut the pepper in half and remove the stems. Brush with olive oil and bake the same time together with the pumpkin.
• When the skin is evenly blackened and blistered, remove from oven (the pumpkin needs more time to soften, so don’t remove it before time). When cooled enough to handle, peel the skin and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the stock or water on medium. Add in the rest of vegetables and boil them until soft. When ready, remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
• Add in also the baked pumpkin chunks, the red pepper and the butter.
• Pour the soup into a blender and blend at high speed until smooth and creamy. Finally: season with salt and pepper.

To Serve:

• Reheat the soup a little if necessary and garnish with sour-cream, roasted pumpkin seeds and homemade fresh croutons.

How to make homemade croutons:

• Cut the bread into small squares.
• In a bowl, combine squared bread with salt and herbs (garlic powder if you want, optional). Then drizzle with olive oil and stir well.
• Spread the bread into an even layer on a lined baking tray. Bake it for few minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Enjoy!

For more soups recipes, see the link