Pumpkin or דלעת (dal'at) as is called in Hebrew) is a whole other creature in this country than the Hallowe'en variety found in the States. It is usually enormous and sitting on the floor of the vegetables shop or on a table waiting to be hacked apart by a bolo or a cleaver. It is pretty bland tasting and needs a lot of spices and other ingredients to really shine.
I use dal'at or pumpkin as an orange backdrop to many soups. It add fiber and texture and doesn't get in the way of the other makings.
I intended to make a carrot or yam soup but when I looked in the fridge I didn't find any yams and not a single potato to use for body. But I did find a chunk of dal'at and a Japanese sweet potato which to me tastes more like chestnut than anything else. Sweet and nutty and satisfying all in one little tuber.
So, this the result.
BT's Japanese Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
~2 pounds (1 kilo) dal'at (pumpkin)
1 large Japanese sweet potato (white flesh and tan peel)
1 carrot
3 scallions
1 small bunch fresh coriander (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh turmeric
1 teaspoon harissa
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried lovage (can use parsley or thyme)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lemon - juiced
6 cups (1 l) filtered water
ground black pepper
Directions:
Remove seeds from pumpkin
Put olive oil in baking pan
Salt sweet potato and pumpkin with 1/2 teaspoon salt
Place sweet potato and pumpkin (face down) in dish
Roast at 200 C. (400 F.) for 45 minutes
Remove and let cool
Add vegetable oil to a heavy gauge cocotte and place on low flame
Add harissa, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and cloves
Sauté 1 minute
Rough chop scallions and add to pot
Sauté onions and spices 2 minutes
Add salt and lovage
Peel carrot and grate into pot
Peel pumpkin and potato and add to pot
Add water
Add garlic clove and fresh coriander
Bring soup to boil and immediately reduce flame to low
Simmer on low for 20 minutes
Let cool 5 minutes
Purée soup with wand blender
Add lemon juice and several grinds of black pepper
Taste for salt
Serve with labne, hot sauce, yogurt...
Enjoy! !בתיאבון
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