with lemon and onion polenta fries
I have to admit, I hestitated a bit with the pear part. In the past, I have once tried making an apple and carrot soup. Safe to say, it turned out so awful that I never wanted to use fruit again in a soup recipe. But I gave myself a little push to have another go at it and the result is this warming, creamy pumpkin, pear and coconut curry soup.
This soup is perfect for those colder days that slowly start to creep back in. Nevertheless, I can approve that it is TRULY warming due to a little weather report issue (never trust the weather report- you might sometimes get back from the public swimming pool, soaking wet. Or cancel a trip because the forecast said “rain”, it looked dark, but than there was no cloud in sight the rest of the day) Anyways, we wanted to make a cozy soup for lunch on the supposedly cold day- and ended up digging our spoons into a steaming hot bowl in the sun at 24C. DELIGHTFUL.
But you know what? It actually did not bother us that much, because everything that counted was the taste and it did not disappoint. If you have ever seen fruit in a soup recipe, the addition of pear might not surprise you as much. However, in case you have never heard of it before and start to question peoples taste buds- be assured, you probably will not even notice. I find it adds a pleasant, slight sweetness that rounds off the overall flavor. And just think how amazing it is to have a good amount of vegetables AND fruit combined in one meal?
Pst, just in case you are not ready for a little flavor experiment, maybe start with this warming spiced pumpkin soup or hummus soup!
We are almost good to go…
There are two more important things I need to mention before we start cooking. If you have a very sensitive gut or make this pumpkin pear and coconut curry soup for children, start with 1/3 to 1/2 of the amount of curry powder. Or use a very mild version. You can always add some chili flakes on top in the end if it is not spicy enough!
Okay and then, can we please talk about HOW. GOOD. POLENTA FRIES.ARE? I have wanted to make them for so long, but always kept it off as I thought they would be too time consuming. Little did I know. All you ahve to do is cook the poelenta, set it in the fridge in a form, cut into strips and bake! Now I wanted to add a little more flavor so I went for red onion and lemon which adds a bit more tanginess. Even though they are not quite complicated to maek, the fries do take a little extra time. So feel free to exchange them for some bread for a quicker meal!
Wheter or not I have convinced you to give this pumpkin pear and coconut cury soup a try- you just need to take your courage and trust me. Fruit can belong in soups. Really.
Well then, lets get started. I hope you enjoy!
ALL THE BEST
Pumpkin and pear coconut curry soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 medium pumpkin (500g once cut into small chunks)*
- 1 can butter beans or cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 pears (around 250g) cut into medium chunks
- 1 medium onion (yellow or red)
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 heaping Tbsp sliced fresh ginger (you can leave the skin on)
- 2-3 Tsp yellow curry powder **
- 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 dashes of cumin
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 800 ml vegetable broth
- 1/2 (200ml) can full fat coconut milk
- salt to taste
For the lemon and onion polenta fries***
- 200g quick cooking polenta
- 800 ml vegetable broth
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium red onion diced into fine chunks
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tsp zest of an organic lemon
- 1/4 Tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 heaping Tbsp fresh herbs (I did basil, thyme and oregano) minced
- pinch of salt
Crust
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp fine breadcrumbs
- 1/2 Tsp onion powder
- 1/2 Tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- If you make the polenat fries, start with preparing everything for them.
- In a pot whisk the polenta into the vegetable broth until no clumps are left. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat and let soak for another 10 minutes. then stir through the finely diced onion, minced garlic clove, chopped herbs, lemon zest and juice, pepper and season with a bit of salt if needed. Be careful not to add too much though as the coating contains some extra salt as well.
- Spread out evenly in a small ceramic baking form and let sit in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- In the meantime start making the soup. First sautee the onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat in a bit of olive oil in a large pot until slightly golden. Add the pumpkin, pear and spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the vegetable broth and coconut milk into the pot as well, cover and let simmer on low heat for around 20 minutes. Halfway through cooking stir through the butterbeans.
- Once the vegetables and pear chunks are soft, blend everything until smooth and creamy using a hend held blender. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper and the lemon juice.
- While the soup cools down a bit, finish the polenta fries. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with some parchment paper.
- Cut the chilled polenta into square shaped strips and layer onto the tray. Combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, onion and salt and dust the fries with the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Serve the soup topped off with some (vegan) sourcream or coconut yogurt, fresh cilantro, sesame seeds and chili flakes if extra spice is needed. Do not forget the polenta fries and enjoy!
