Warming pumpkin soup

By Sari Huhtala

There’s nothing quite like a soothing, antioxidant-rich ginger and cardamom pumpkin soup to warm the body, and uplift one’s spirit, while at the same time bolster the immune system.

A touch of cardamom not only brings warmth and sweetness to a pumpkin soup, but also adds a twist of health to every spoonful. Cardamom has been proven to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, blood pressure-lowering, antibacterial properties.

Try this soup recipe, made creamy by using potatoes in place of cream or milk. Adding potatoes smooths out the flavour of the soup.

• 1 small pumpkin, roasted

• 4-6 cloves garlic, roasted

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 tsp salt

• 5-6 cups veggie broth (organic veggie cubes are great for homemade soup)

• 1-inch chunk of ginger, peeled and grated

• ½ to 1 tsp ground cardamom, or 4 whole cardamom pods

• 4-6 whole allspice

• 2 medium potatoes, cubed (leave peel on if organic)

• Olive oil for cooking

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice pumpkin in half, horizontally and place on baking sheet. Toss cloves of garlic in the pumpkin halves (leaving peel on garlic cloves), and drizzle with olive oil. Bake about 45 minutes, or until soft enough to pierce with a fork. Let cool slightly.

Drizzle olive oil in a medium size pot. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh into the pot, and add the chopped onions and ginger. Sauté on medium low for about 5 minutes. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peel, into the pot. Add the allspice, salt, veggie broth and potatoes. Bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked. Remove from heat and either use a hand-held immersion blender, a food processor or a high-speed blender to puree the soup. Add more veggie broth if a thinner consistency is desired. Store covered in refrigerator for up to four days.