The Slow Cook Book by Heather Whinney is all about the thrifty and the nifty. Any of the 200 recipes in this collection can be done in a traditional oven or in a slow cooker. Sounds like a real staple for those of us who cook every day! Read more in our October cooking column.
The following recipe is seasonal deliciousness at its best. Enjoy!
Pumpkin & ginger soup
(serves 4-6, freeze up to 3 months)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2-in (5-cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped
- Pinch of dried chile flakes
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2-lb (900-g) pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2 cups hot vegetable stock for the slow cooker (3 cups for the traditional method)
In the slow cooker:
(Prep – 15 mins, Cook – 15 mins precooking, Auto/Low-8 hrs, High-4 hrs)
Preheat the slow cooker, if required. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat, add the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and cinnamon stick, and cook for a few seconds before adding the pumpkin or squash (and a little more olive oil if needed) and stir to coat.
Pour in a little of the stock, increase the heat, and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer everything to the slow cooker. Add the remaining stock, cover with the lid, and cook on auto/low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Remove the cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth, or transfer in batches to a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean pan to heat through, taste, and season as required. Serve with some chunky whole grain bread or some rye bread.
Traditional method:
(Prep – 15 mins, Cook – 1hour)
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over medium heat, add the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and cinnamon stick, and cook for a few seconds before adding the pumpkin or squash (and a little more olive oil if needed) and stir to coat.
Pour in a little of the stock, increase the heat, and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining stock, boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to barely a simmer, cover with the lid, and cook for about 45 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and the flavors have developed.
Remove the cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth, or transfer in batches to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a ladleful of hot water as you go if it is too thick. Transfer to a clean pan to heat through, taste, and season as required. Serve with some chunky whole grain bread or rye bread.
Excerpted from The Slow Cook Book by Heather Whinney (DK). Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Read our review of this book.
