Pumpkin, Saffron, and Orange Soup

• servings: 4-6

Ingredients

Mounded ½ cup/80g pumpkin seeds

2 tsp maple syrup

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup/60ml olive oil

2 onions, sliced into 1 ¼-inch wedges (3½ cups/ 350g)

2½ Ib/1.2kg pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and seeds removed, flesh cut into 1 and 1/4-inch cubes (8 cups/1 kg)

Salt and black pepper

1 qt vegetable stock

2 tbsp rose harissa (or 50 percent more or less, depending on variety; see page 301 or notes section)

¼ tsp saffron threads

1 orange, finely zested to get 1 tsp

¾ cup/180g crème fraîche

¼ cup/5g cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Mix everything for the pumpkin seeds in a small bowl, along with ¼ tsp salt. Spread onto a small parchment-lined baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes, until the seeds have popped and are starting to brown. Set aside to cool and then break up any clumps into bite-size pieces.

3. Increase the oven to 450°F

4. Combine the oil, onions, and pumpkin in a large bowl with ¾ tsp salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix well and transfer to a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, until everything is soft and caramelized. Remove from the oven and set aside.

5. Put the stock into a stockpot with the harissa. saffron, orange zest, ½ tsp salt, and a good grind of pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and, once boiling, carefully tip in the roasted pumpkin and onions, along with any oil from the sheet pan, into the stockpot. Stir through, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the crème fraiche, then, using an immersion blender (or transfer to a countertop blender if that's what you have), blitz until completely smooth.

6. Serve each portion with a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

Notes

When they’re in season, through autumn and winter, there are all sorts of weird and wonderful pumpkins and squash at the market. Winter squash are best for this soup their consistency is firm and their flavor has a depth that is similar to sweet potetees. You can also make it with summer squash (of which pumpkin is one) the flesh will just be a bit more fibrous and watery.

The soup will keep in the fridge for 3 days, or can be frozen for up to 1 month, and the pumpkin seeds will Keep well in a dry, sealed container for a good week.

Double or triple the recipe for the pumpkin seeds. They are lovely to have around to sprinkle over other soups, salads, or roasted vegetables.

*Rose harissa is a heavily spiced North African chile paste. I absolutely love it and it's used throughout Ottolenghi SIMPLE in all sorts of dishes-to marinate beef sirloin, for example (page 224), to rub over baked potato skins before they get roasted (page 146), to elevate a simple pasta dish (page 188) or omelete with Manchego (page 7), or to make a batch of caramelized harissa onions to spoon alongside a tasty brunch (page 13). The difference between harissa and rose harissa is the addition of the rose petals in the latter; generally speaking, they bring a special sweetness to the paste and soften the kick of the chile. That being said, the range in kick between one harissa and the next, or one rose harissa and the next can be absolutely huge. Recipes in Ottolenghi SIMPLE have been tested with Belazu rose harissa, which I really like. If you're starting with something else, then you'll need to taste what you have and gauge how much to use. A lot of supermarket brands aren't that punchy so you'll need to use 50 percent more than the recipe says. Much of the harissa or rose harissa that you buy from a North African shop, on the other hand, will have a really spicy kick so you'll need to use 50 percent less than the recipe says. With heat, it's always going to be a matter of taste and tolerance, so have a play around to see what works for you.