Pumpkin Soup with Ginger

Difficulty: Medium

Serves Four (or two if you want larger servings)

‘Season Treason’ is a term that my brother and I assigned to activities that are typically performed in one season but are carried out in another. Eating soup as we approach summer in Australia is a prime example of this but I’ve always been a culinary maverick so go figure.

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 750mL to 1L boiling water (depending on desired consistency)
• 4 chicken style stock cubes (I use Massel)
• 1/2 Kent pumpkin, cut into small cubes
• 1 large potato, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup soy cooking milk (I use Carnation)
• Salt, pepper, Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and chives to serve

Method

1. In a stockpot, fry the onion, garlic, ginger and nutmeg in a little olive oil until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the boiling water and stock cubes and mix well.
3. Carefully add the pumpkin and potato, cover and boil on high for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
4. Remove from the heat, at this point you may want to remove some of the liquid and add this back in later to achieve your desired consistency.
5. With a handheld mixer, carefully blend until the soup is thick and creamy.
6. Add the soy milk and continue to blend until well combined.
7. Serve with a dollop of Better Than Cream Cheese, salt, pepper and chives alongside some crusty bread.