There's more to pumpkins than pumpkin pie...

Well as promised here's mine and my mum's combined creation  for spiced pumpkin soup. It's not spiced as in hot, hot fiery! But more a subtle warming hint and adds to the lovely flavour of the pumpkin. We've also added a can of chopped tomatoes and a couple of potatoes...to make it interesting. 

Hope you dare to have a go at it, and Happy Halloween! 

(Do you like my carved pumpkin?)

Ingredients (serves 4 greedy people):

450g peeled and seeded pumpkin (about 1 small pumpkin)

25g margarine or butter

1 cm cube peeled and finely sliced ginger

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced

200g peeled and chopped potato (small pieces)

1 vegetable stock cube

400g can of chopped tomatoes 

½ teaspoon mixed spiced

a sprinkle of nutmeg

1 heaped tablespoon of crème fraîche plus extra for garnish

handful of chopped oregano 

salt and pepper

Method

Dice the pumpkin into small pieces. Melt the margarine/butter in a large pan, add the pumpkin, garlic and ginger  and cook gently for 5 minutes. Next add the chopped potato and cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, make up the stock by adding 1 pint of water to the stock cube, then add to the pan, season with salt and pepper, Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 1 hour until the pumpkin and potato is soft. 

Remove from the heat, then add the mixed spice and nutmeg to the pan along with the crème fraîche, liquidize with a stick hand blender or blitz in a food processor. Check for seasoning and then ladle into bowls, sprinkle over a little chopped oregano and swirl on more crème fraîche to serve.