Pumpkin Soup

Now I am by no means a soup girl, however pumpkins are in season here in Queensland and this recipe from the Stardew Valley cookbook looked perfect for our chilly weather. I used what I would call a butternut squash as they are locally called pumpkins and work very well in a soup either way. I also was unable to find any American apple cider (which as far as i can tell is just raw apple juice?) so I used cloudy apple juice as this seemed to be the best replacement.

The soup itself turned out hearty and warming, rather ginger-forward (Perhaps a nod to the ‘Ginger Island’ from the game) but definitely rich and satisfying enough to be a main course. I would also highly recommend making the suggested Pecorino Frico as this really brought everything together, tying in the creamy sour cream drizzle and contrasting the smooth and nutty flavour of the soup itself. Mine did not quite crisp up perfectly but I think this was due to my slightly underachieving oven. This recipe could very easily be veganised, I personally love a vegan parmesan when a vegetarian option isn't available. Only other changes required would be vegan butter and omitting the sour cream drizzle.
If you were particularly thrifty and used a traditional ‘halloween’ style pumpkin, you could roast and use the seeds to make the Pecorino Frico.

The recipe itself did take several hours but was not all that hands-on, except for me it was due to an over-curious kitten who I do not like to leave alone when the stove is lit. The hardest part was definitely chopping and peeling the pumpkin as this required a fair amount of arm strength and could only be peeled with a knife. I also made the Pecorino Frico and some croutons alongside the soup which added a layer of time management but was ultimately very doable, especially to minimise time with the oven on.

Leftovers stored well in the fridge and I imagine would also freeze well. The Pecorino Frico was kept at room temp and also stored well but croutons do not in my opinion.