Pumpkins and sweet potato, two amazing Fall vegetables. I don’t have to deal with the Fall weather at the moment, but you might. I can hear your complain about the rainy, cold and dark days, so hopefully, this comforting Fall recipe will brighten up your day.
It’s best to eat seasonal organic vegetables and fruits from your local market. The produce are then fresh and they don’t have to travel so far to reach your kitchen. Lately, I have a growing love and desire to grow my own vegetables and herbs and harvest my own beautiful vegetables and fruits.
My cousin who lives just outside Jakarta, in a small town called Ciawi, has the most amazing and impressive farm where she grows solely organic products. From sweet potatoes, onions, zucchini, peppers, long beans, carrots to luscious tropical fruits. There are big banana trees, papaya trees and cute little lime bushes. I even found fresh aloe vera growing from the fertile soil and cute little chili peppers, sure Indonesia is blessed with a tropical climate through out the year.
This makes my inner farmer girl wants to get my hands all dirty in the soil. I love to see the farmers harvesting all the fresh products, how organic and local can it be right? That day when we harvest lots of vegetables we cook and ate them all right away, and I have to say the simplicity and back to nature kind of feeling, away from the bustling hectic city really made me feel just where I belong. Not many of you know, but I was born in a farmers town in the Northern part of The Netherlands, so maybe it’s time to go back to farm life 😉
P.S. All the ingredients in the Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup recipe are from my cousin’s farm!
Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup
Serves 4 portions
Ingredients
- 1/2 pumpkin, diced
- 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large brown onion, chopped
- 1-liter vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon of coconut oil
- a spoonful Greek or coconut yogurt per serving
- cranberries to garnish
Method
- Preheat oven at 180 C.
- Cut the pumpkin lengthwise and place it on a baking tray with a baking sheet.
- Peel the skin of the sweet potatoes and cut in cubes and place them together with the pumpkin. Sprinkle with some olive or coconut oil and grill in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown and completely soft.
- In the meantime dice the onion and finely chop the garlic or use a garlic presser.
- Set up a large soup pan and cook the onions and garlic first together with some coconut oil.
- Add all the spices and sauté everything so the fragrances burst out and you already can smell a beautiful aroma.
- When pumpkin and sweet potatoes are ready take them out and scoop all pumpkin flesh right into the soup (rather don’t use the skin, since it will not soften in the soup) together with the sweet potatoes.
- Stir everything well and add the vegetable stock slowly.
- Depending on your preference for the consistency of the soup, you may add more stock or less. I like it thick and creamy.
- Use a hand mixer or blender to blend the soup until you get a smooth texture.
- Let it simmer on low heat and set up the bowls to prepare the last step.
- Fill the bowls with soup and end with a dollop of Greek or coconut yogurt and garnish it with some dry cranberries.
- Your comforting Fall bowl is ready to be enjoyed!
