Saffron and Roasted Pumpkin Soup

A delicious and healthy soup smooth like silk prepared with roasted pumpkin flavored with garlic, nutmeg, oregano, sprinkled with lightly toasted green pumpkin seeds and served laced with saffron

Course:Soup

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 04 .

Ingredients and Quantity:

Olive oil – 10 ml.

Red pumpkin- 1.5 kg

Yellow onion, sliced-01 no.

Garlic cloves, pressed or minced-08 nos.

Saffron Broiled- 01.5 gm.

Nutmeg, grated-1/4^th tsp.

Cumin powder- 1/4^th tsp

Ground dried oregano- 1/4^th tsp

Saffron Broiled- 02 gm.

Vegetable stock- 05 cups

Salt- to taste

For the garnish-

Green Pumpkin seeds (Pepitas) , lightly toasted-20 gm.

Saffron, Broiled- ½  gm.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400◦ degrees F and line a baking sheet. Peel, scoop the pumpkin seeds and cube the pumpkin. Keep the pumpkin seeds aside and it may be used for some other recipe.

Brush olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin cubes, sliced yellow onion and garlic cloves. Place it in the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

With a blender, blend the pumpkin flesh, Sliced Yellow onion, garlic cloves, broiled saffron, nutmeg, cumin powder, ground dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper. In a nonstick soup pan add the puree and pour in the vegetable stock. Add salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, to give the flavors time to fuse in.

Taste and adjust seasonings if required. Ladle soup into individual soup bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over the soup, lace it with broiled saffron and serve very hot.