Cream of Pumpkin soup

Cream of Pumpkin Soup:
1/2 a medium pumpkin
1.75 litres water

60g Celery (finely sliced)
3 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 large Onion (chopped)
1 potato, 1cm cubed
30g butter
40g flour
2 Knorr chicken cubes

1 tablespoon rolled oats
200ml UHT milk
1 tbsp sugar
Pepper to taste


1. Boil 1.75 L of water.
2. Clean out the pulp of 1/2 a pumpkin, reserve the seeds to toast for a snack. No need to remove the pumpkin skin, but cut the pumpkin to about 1 inch pieces and toast them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Toasting the pumpkin caramelises the sugar in the pumpkin for a lovely sweetness.
3. Once the pumpkin is soft, the skin can be removed easily. Put the pumpkin into a food processor or blender, but don't start blending yet! =)
4. In a frying pan, melt the butter and fry the onion, garlic, potato and celery until soft. To this mix, reduce heat slightly and add the chicken cubes and flour and stir thoroughly for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add some of the hot water until you get a thickened watery mixture. Add in the oats, but you don't need to cook it further.
5. Put this thickened mixture into the food processor or blender, and blend it with the pumpkin. If needed, you can add more hot water.
6. Pour the blended mix back into the soup pot, add in the rest of the hot water, milk and sugar, then turn up the heat.
7. When the soup is boiling, put it back into the thermal pot for a time to let the flavours mix. You do not have to reheat the soup before serving.
8. Freeze or refrigerate whatever soup not consumed.


by Brenda