Spiced pumpkin soup with
brown rice, blackbeans and lime whipped feta
I am not built for cold weather. To me, chill
is a fun killer. I know there is skiing, and ice skating and pretty white
landscapes and amazing coats and boots but this all glosses over that very
banal fact that being cold completely sucks. The only redeeming feature, other
than the aforementioned, means long slow cooking in the kitchen, the kind that
has wafting amazing roasting type smells escaping through your windows and
floorboards. And bowls of deliciousness like this spiced number that is part
soup, part hearty soul fortifying meal. Basically as many comfort foods you can
find to fit in one bowl with a touch of flu warding garlic and spice.
Ingredients
1/2 Jap pumpkin, thickly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 red onions, peeled, roughly chopped
2 sprigs marjoram
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 cup coconut milk
100g adobo sauce
4 cups chicken stock
juice and zest of 2 limes
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup tinned black beans, rinsed
2 cups cooked brown basmati rice
Lime whipped feta
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp yoghurt
160g fetta
Micro coriander leaves, lime wedges and black sea salt
flakes to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Toss the pumpkin
slices, garlic and chopped onion with the olive oil and season with salt and
pepper. Place on a large baking tray and roast until lightly caramelized and
tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly
before adding to a blender with the herbs and spices. Turn out into a saucepan
and add the coconut milk and adobo sauce. Add the chicken stock gradually until
your desired soup consistency is achieved. Simmer for 20 minutes to allow the
flavours to develop, adding more chicken stock as it thickens. Season.
For the whipped feta, blend
ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside until ready to serve.
Scoop a 1/2 cup of brown rice into each bowl. Pour soup
over the rice, then top with blackbeans, lime whipped feta, and fresh coriander.
