Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup

Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup with a Beef and Green Onion Topping

This year the Hokkaido Pumpkins comes as a really small version of the regular Hokkaidos. It was to dry to get the larger sizes.

Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup with Beef and green onion topping

I was thinking about many versions to cook a pumpkin and ended up with a soup. I only bought the pumpkin and  the beef mince meat. Other things I´m using from my fridge salad drawer.

I prepare the Hokkaido with the skin, it is edible and dissolves while cooking. This soup will be blended, so it will be smooth. Less work than any other pumpkin kind.
Hokkaido pumpkins are the  most used here in Germany, because dealing with the skin is no problem and so it is easy to use.

Orange, Onions, Garlic, Ginger and Bay Leaves

I have some veggies from Christmas left and use some things out of my freezer too.

Soup needs to bubble for 35 minutes

recipe:
Hokkaido Pumpkin about 700 g
2 Parsnips
3 potatoes
1/5 celeriac
50 g leek
8 cherry tomatoes
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
4 cm ginger
1chilli
1 orange
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 beef stock cubes

Topping

400g beef mince
1 bunch of green onions
sour cream
seasoning

In some oil start with onion, garlic, ginger and give them a couple of minutes to soften, add the veggies and stir them for 2 minutes, add the orange and the stock cubes and the water  until everything is covered. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 35 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Fish out the bay leaves and the chilli and take a stick blender to the soup. Do not make it to smooth, it can have some veggie pieces left.

In a pan after 20 minutes cooking time of the soup, heat up the rest of the oil and fry the beef. When it is getting brown, add the spring onions and season well.

Take a bowl and serve the soup with the beef and green onion topping a a teaspoon sour cream.