Spicy pumpkin soup with cheese cubes

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1,000 g pumpkin flesh (Hokkaido with skin)
• 1 large onion(s), white
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• ½ cup of cream or crème fraîche, approx. 100 g
• 1 tbsp butter for sautéing
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger, freshly grated
• e.g. cayenne pepper
• n. B. nutmeg powder
• n. B. Salt
• n. B. Pfeffer
• 4 tbsp tomatoes, dried in oil, chopped
• 4 tbsp Emmental cheese, cut into cubes

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

Roughly dice the pumpkin flesh, removing the stem and seeds, along with the onion and garlic. Melt the butter in a large soup pot; do not heat it too high (you don’t want it to brown). Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes, then pour in the broth. Add the ginger. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low to medium. Cover and stir occasionally until the pumpkin can be cut with a fork. This should take about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and puree the soup completely with an immersion blender. Stir in the cream or crème fraîche and season with cayenne pepper, nutmeg (use carefully), pepper, and (if necessary) salt or a little more broth powder. Tip: If you’re not using fresh ginger, add the dried ginger at this stage as well, but only a little at a time, otherwise it will quickly become too intense. Serve in bowls. For a fruity topping, use chopped sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil and/or small cubes of cheese.