This soup is one of my favorite, and it’s always on my Christmas menu as a starter! It’s very easy to make and you could change the taste using different spices every time.

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow pumpkin (~700 grams)
• 1 large carrot
• 1 big potato
• 1 onion or leek (the white part)
• 1 garlic clove
• 70 ml white wine
• 70 ml heavy cream or 100 grams Greek yogurt
• 50 grams butter
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp ginger fresh or powder
• salt/pepper
• optional spices: curry, turmeric

For the caramelized onions:

• 2 onions
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup, or brown sugar
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Peel and cut the pumpkin, carrot, potato, onion, leek in large cubes.
• In a pot saute the veggie cubes with the butter and add the garlic.
• Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
• Add salt, pepper (pink pepper goes well here!), the orange zest, the ginger and the spices you want.
• Cover with water and simmer in low heat (lid closed) for about 30 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
• Make a velvet soup using the hand/stick blender right in the pot, or if you don’t have one add the veggies in a food processor and then put them back in the pot.
• Add the heavy cream or yogurt and stir.

For the caramelized onions:

• Cut the onions in small pieces.
• Put them in a small pot with the butter and stir for a minute.
• Add the maple syrup and simmer in low heat for 20 minutes to caramelize, stir from times to times.
• Serve the soup hot with 1 tbsp of caramelized onions.