Food as Medicine: Al's Pumpkin & Star Anise Soup.
- Sep 29, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 9, 2023
Eating Seasonally - Warm and Nourishing Soup
A warm bowl of soup is the perfect solution for getting cosy and comfortable at home this autumn. Following on from the last Food as Medicine post, Embracing Autumn's Balance - through diet and lifestyle, Alison McNaught kindly shares her Pumpkin & Star Anise Soup recipe. A healthy and nutritious blend of seasonal vegetables and warming spices. A taste sensation that is sure to leave you with that warm and snug autumnal feeling.
Al's Pumpkin & Star Anise Soup
Ingredients:
🔸1.5 kilos of pumpkin, peeled and
seeded (please try not to buy
Halloween carving pumpkins from
supermarkets, they are watery and
often tasteless.
🔸5 cloves of garlic chopped- fat juicy
fresh ones if possible
🔸75g of ginger grated
🔸2 tbsp coriander seeds
🔸2 dried red chillies- crushed
🔸2 star anise
🔸Olive oil
🔸Sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
🔸1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
🔸1 carrot, sliced
🔸1 leek, trimmed and chopped into
small pieces
🔸1.5 litres vegetable stock- marigold
stock is good, homemade is better
Method:
🔹Heat oven to 170 degrees
🔹Chop the pumpkin into big chunks rub it with salt, pepper and olive oil
and roast it until soft.
🔹Meanwhile in a large saucepan, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, leek and
carrot until very soft in a large glug of olive oil.
🔹Add the dried chilli
🔹Lightly toast the coriander and star anise in a dry pan, then grind with a
pestle and mortar and add to the pan.
🔹Add the roasted pumpkin
🔹Add the 1.5 litres stock
🔹Simmer on a low heat for half an hour, take care that it does not boil
🔹Blend with a stick blender until you have a velvety consistency.
To Serve:
There are numerous toppings to complement this soup - chopped herbs, Greek yogurt, toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped walnuts. Sage, in particular goes well with pumpkin. Whichever toppings you choose enjoy with some fresh crusty bread.
Alison McNaught former chef/proprietor at Reunion Cafe in Crystal Palace. An independent all-day dining bistro with a contemporary global menu. Known for serving delicious, freshly prepared food, soups were a speciality at Reunion, where seasonality was top of the list. It's hardly surprising they were very popular with the locals for over 20 years.
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