AUSTRALIAN FOOD AND RECIPES

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed or roasted. It can be made into soup, a pie, mashed or cooked as a vegetable.

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Aussie Food Charts for Cooking

However, you won't find our pumpkins carved into scary jack-o-lanterns as they do in the United States.

While we do respect the Yanks' culture, it does seem a rather strange thing to do to a perfectly nice vegetable.

Pumpkin Seeds

Don't throw away those seeds. They are said to have many health benefits like lowering cholesterol. The seeds are also a good source of protein, zinc and other vitamins.

1. Preheat oven 150°C (300°F)

2. Rinse the seeds in cold water removing any pulp and strings. Using a paper towel, remove excess water.

3. Melt some butter in a pan and remove from the heat. Add the seeds and toss to coat them.

4. Use a non-stick baking sheet and spread out the seeds in a single layer. Bake until golden brown (about 30-40 minutes). Stir the seeds occasionally making sure they don't burn.

Cool and store in an air-tight container.

Australian Recipe

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Australian Pumpkin Soup

Don't carve that pumpkin. Eat it!

Ingredients

1	tablespoon	rosemary, fresh, finely chopped
20	ml (1 tablespoon)	extra virgin olive oil
1	kg (2 pounds)	pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and coarsely chopped. (Try a Butternut pumpkin)
1	small	potato
20	ml (1 tablespoon)	extra virgin olive oil
1	large	onion, coarsely chopped
2	cloves	garlic, crushed
1	teaspoon	paprika
1		red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped (or a ¼ teaspoon of hot chilli flakes)
3	cubes	chicken stock
1	litre (35 fluid oz)	water
		salt, pepper to taste

Method

1.	Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Deseed the pumpkin. Peel and chop the potato and pumpkin into approx. 3 cm (1inch) pieces.
2.	Combine the pumpkin, potato, rosemary and 20ml of oil in a large roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
3.	While the pumpkin and potato are roasting, heat 20ml of oil in a large saucepan. Add chopped onion, garlic, paprika and chilli to the pan. Cook stirring for about 10 minutes or until the onion softens.
4.	Add the roasted pumpkin, potatoes and stock to the onion mixture. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to low. Simmer covered stirring occasionally until it reduces a little (about 10 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat.
5.	Let cool. Using a blender or potato masher and sieve, puree the cooled mixture.
6.	Pour into a pan and heat gently adding salt and pepper to taste.

Roasting the pumpkin first in this recipe helps to bring out the flavour. You can also add chopped leeks to Step 3 for added flavour. The recipe can be easily doubled if you need more servings or want to freeze extra portions.

For an pretty and flavourful touch, pour the soup into a bowl, swirl in some sour cream and sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top. The soup can also be served cold. Serves 4

We hope you enjoy our recipe!

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