Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

 

Yesterday found me outside placing many leaves in beds before the rains came. I almost got done, but the rain started sooner than I had hoped. Along with the rain the weather turned cold and so the day called for not only a cup of tea, a fire in the fireplace, but a bowl of hot soup to warm my belly.

 

 

It's time for a great harvest soup with pumpkin, ....don't you think? Here's one of my favorites.Rebecca, this one's for you. Rebecca stayed with us a couple of years ago and this was one of her favorite soups too. Know that you can substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock for a complete vegetarian meal.

 

 

 Don't forget to have a look at the end of the post for today's Swedish words.

Pumpkin Vegetable Soup

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 onion
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stick peeled and chopped
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 container of mushrooms
• 1 large leek or two small ones
• 3 cups of pumpkin puree fresh or canned
• 16 oz of half and half
• ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tsp of chopped thyme

 

Preparation:

1. In a large stockpot, melt 1 tbsp of olive oil and butter over medium heat.
2. Once melted, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and let simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the stockpot from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
5. Pour the broth mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Set this aside.
6. In the stockpot you were just using, melt the remaining olive oil and butter.
7. Add the mushrooms and leeks, cooking them for about 6 minutes or until the mushrooms start to brown.
8. Mix the puree, pumpkin, remaining broth, half and half, pepper, red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
9. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and thyme and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Today's Swedish Words:

To rake up: rive upp

Leaves: Löv

Autumn: Höst

Pumpkin soup: pumpa soppa

vegetable: grönsak ;lural grönsaker.

Rain: regn. Det har regnat hela hösten. It's been raining the whole autumn.

butter: smör

onion: Lök

garlic: vitlök

Carrots: Morot plural morötter

celery: Selleri

Chicken broth: kycklings buljong 

 Mushrooms: Svamp, plural svampar, Plocka svamp to pick mushrooms. verb.

Leeks: pujolök

Salt: Salt, verb rimma ( to salt lightly)

Lemon juice: citron juice

Thyme: timjan