Spicy-fruity pumpkin soup with sweet apple slices

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 700 g Hokkaido pumpkin(s)
• 300 g carrot(s)
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 apple, sour, e.g. Granny Smith, for the vegetables
• 30 g fresh ginger root
• 35 g butter for the vegetables
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• ½ lemon(s), squeezed
• Salt
• Pepper, black and white
• 1 sour apple, e.g. Granny Smith, for the apple slices
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 pinch(s) allspice
• 15 g butter for the apple slices
• 4 bread(s) (naan bread)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

Wash the pumpkin, cut out the stem, hollow out the pumpkin, and dice it. Slice the carrots. Dice the onion and peel the ginger, but leave it whole, as it will be removed from the soup later. Core and dice the apple for the vegetables. Core the apple for the apple wedges and cut it into thin slices. To prevent them from browning, soak them in salted water; these wedges will be used later as a garnish. Melt the butter for the vegetables in a saucepan, add the pumpkin, carrots, onion, ginger, and the diced apple. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Then deglaze with the vegetable stock. Add the lemon juice and season with white and black pepper and salt. The vegetables should be covered with stock; add a little more if necessary. Cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Then remove the ginger and mash the soup with a food processor. If the soup becomes too thick, add more vegetable stock to bring it to the desired consistency. Season again if necessary. Remove the apple slices from the salted water before the end of the cooking time and place on kitchen paper. Mix together the sugar, allspice, and cinnamon and sprinkle half of the mixture over the apple slices. Then fry the apple slices, seasoned side down, in a small pan with the butter for five minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, spread the remaining spice mixture over the top of the apple slices, then turn them over and fry for another five minutes. Ladle the finished soup into bowls or cups and garnish with the apple slices. Serve with the naan bread prepared according to the package instructions.