Creamy Pumpkin soup with Mushrooms

Zuppa cremosa alla Zucca con Funghi

Try this vegan soup! It is amazing delicious, perfect for a light dinner. I recommend that you use fresh and tasty mushrooms.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 50 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
11 oz. (300 g) champignon mushrooms, sliced
Water, about 3 cups (750ml)
Salt, about 2 tsp.
1 lb. (450g) chopped pumpkin
11 oz. (300g) chopped potatoes
2-3 fresh rosemary sprigs
Black pepper to taste
 
Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sauté gently. Add the mushrooms and 1 cup (250ml) of water. Season with  ½ tsp. salt, cover, and cook until the liquid has reduced and the mushrooms are tender (about 20-30 minutes depending on the type of mushroom).
2.        Meanwhile, in a large pot put together the pumpkin and the potatoes. Add 2 cups (500ml) of water, 1 ½ tsp. salt and rosemary. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until pumpkin and potatoes are tender. Then, turn off the heat, remove the rosemary sprigs and, with an immersion blender, reduce the mixture to a creamy puree.
3.        At this point, add the mixture of onion and mushrooms to the soup, and serve immediately in individual bowls with a sprinkle of black pepper on top of each servings.

Notes:
·         You can use other kinds of fresh and tasty mushrooms.

Pasta and Pumpkin soup

Zuppa di Pasta e Zucca

The season of the pumpkin has arrived. Today, here in Rome is raining a lot! What could be better than a soupy dish of Pasta with Pumpkin in a rainy day of Autumn like this?

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 45 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

9 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
1 lb. (450g) chopped pumpkin
About 1 ½ tsp. salt
2 cups water
½ lb. (approximately 250 grams) lumachine pasta
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley

Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté until light brown. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat.
2.        Then add the pumpkin, salt and water. Cover and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
3.        When the pumpkin is tender, add the pasta to the pot and more water if necessary; the simmering liquid must be just enough to cover the pasta, so make sure you don’t add too much water. Cook over medium low heat and stir constantly until the pasta is al dente.
4.        At this point, taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Top each serving of pasta with a sprinkle of black pepper and parsley.

Notes:

·         You can use other kinds of Italian short pasta like tubetti, conchigliette or ruote in place of the lumachine.