Winter's Day Comfort

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

This is a culinary reflex of mine as soon as the cold weather hits. It is a soup cliché for a reason. The yellow-orange sheen met by the sweet nostalgia of autumnal vegetables staves off the groggy grey of winter. The soup is thicker than the classic pumpkin soup and the earthy texture of sweet potato is a marriage of sympathico with the smoothness of pumpkin. The gloppy texture goes wonderfully against the crunch of buttered toast. It is a soothing comfort that settles my stomach warding off the icicles. It has balanced aromas and is sumptuously delicious.

Ingredients

1 large half pumpkin (roasted if you can be bothered)
1 large sweet potato (roasted if you can be bothered)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion diced
2 large garlic cloves crushed and chopped
250 mls of chicken or vegetable stock (optional if you want it lighter)
Salt, Pepper
Chives or basil (optional touch)
1 tbsp of sour cream

Peel and chop the pumpkin and sweet potato into pieces so that you have a ratio of 1:1. If you're making this for a dinner party or want to infuse a more honey-nutt flavour, roast the pumpkin and sweet potato in an oven for 25-30 minutes at 180C with a few crushed cloves of garlic, pinch of salt/pepper and olive oil. I don't find it is worth the effort on an early winter's afternoon.

Dice onion and smash garlic to a pulp like consitency and chop it finely. Add them both to a pot and sweat with a mixture of butter and olive oil. Leave on a low heat for 10 minutes to infuse, do not allow it to brown, only turn to yellow translucency.

Add pumpkin and sweet potato pieces to the pot and fill with chicken stock and a little additional water until all pieces are submerged. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until soft and cooked through. Blend it all till smooth and gloppy. Curl a blob of sour cream on top and accompany with toast to serve. Simple is best. Miam Miam!