Heartwarming pumpkin soup

I recently brought some pumpkin soup to a friend who was recuperating from surgery at home and got such a rave review for it that I decided to share this with a broader audience.  It's the perfect antidote to winter - I've found that a cup at lunch really warms you through and through.  I think the thick, creamy texture of the pumpkin and the spices all played a role in creating that warm snug feeling. And the wonderful thing is pumpkin is incredibly rich in antioxidants, high in Vitamin A, an excellent source of potassium, and what's more, low in calories.

On top of all the goodness, it's easy to make, especially  if you have a hand-held blender.  The cooking time is an hour and a half but the actual prep time is at most 20 minutes.   Like all good researchers, I used a mix of sources but I would say the basic recipe I used was from taste.com taking great liberty with it.  The soup is so creamy there is no need to add cream or any added starch.  It's a very healthy soup.

This is also a great time of year to make it because pumpkin is cheap after Halloween.  You'll need about 5 pounds or 3 large pieces (it's okay if you use less, it will just be a little more watery). Pumpkin with deep orange flesh tends to be sweeter.  Rub olive oil, rosemary and black pepper on the pumpkin flesh and place skin side up on a roasting pan.  Roast at 350 degrees for about an hour.   When it is ready, sauté two chopped onions and several cloves of garlic in olive oil in a heavy pot until soft.  Add 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, 1 tbsp of ground coriander, dash of chilli and simmer for about 20 minutes with the de-skinned roasted pumpkin cut up into large chunks.  Set it aside to cool for about half an hour.  Put your blender into the soup and blend the pumpkin pieces right in the pot.  It only takes a couple of minutes and it's done.

Serve with parsley or a dob of yogurt in the centre.  Great for a first course at a winter dinner.  It tastes best when piping hot.  I once served it at a dinner when it had not been heated through and through, and I regret it with every spoonful that I tasted.  It lost much of its "bang" when it's lukewarm.

Just aim the blender straight down at the chunks and it won't splatter.

If you don't have a hand-blender, go and get one.  I wish I hadn't waited 10 years to get mine.  It is SO handy - you won't regret it. 

Peruvian Food 2 - Quinoa, corn, alpaca

Urubamba in the Sacred Valley is where many tourists come to acclimatize to the high altitude.  It's a few thousand feet below Cuzco and only an hour away.  And since we were supposed to take it easy the first day of arrival at high altitude, we didn't do much other than eat that day - perfectly fine with me.  We had a buffet lunch outdoors in a gazebo in a very nice restaurant with its own llamas, alpacas and some very colourful macaws.  Dinner was at an even nicer restaurant in the Aranwa Sacred Valley hotel.  Here are some of the very Peruvian food we ate.

Quinoa is an important Peruvian staple.  Here it is served cold in a mold with peas, carrots and peppers mixed in.  Delicious!

This looks and tastes like spinach pastry

We were supposed to eat light the first day - this is all I allowed myself for lunch.  You can see the large roasted corn kernels and the sweet potato (almost at every meal).  Avocado is in abundance and in many combinations.  Here (on the right) it is served with tuna between mashed potatoes, in a traditional dish called causa - very tasty.  (I didn't take pictures of the desserts)

Outdoor restaurant

The one in front is the alpaca

Dinner is at the Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel

This is the "cream of the day" and unfailingly pumpkin (for the rest of the trip)!   Quite a contrast from "Grandma's pumpkin soup" we had in Lima, with a much more delicate flavour.

This is a Napoleon "crunchy ham tartar alpaca" with avocado and cilantro.  Our guide assured us that it is not raw so I had alpaca for both first and main.  You can't really taste the alpaca in this Napoleon but it was an interesting combination of textures.

And here is my first (and best) alpaca, loin done medium - my favourite Peruvian food.   For me, the texture and taste is a cross between beef and pork tenderloin.