Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Yesterday was a great pumpkin cooking adventure with my good friend Jae. Since my husband is no fan of pumpkin foods (and I obviously am), I am so happy to have other people to share this joy with. In addition to the soup we made for dinner, there was no question in my mind - we had to make pumpkin spice syrup! It is super easy, and so delicious in lattes, steamers (warm milk) or on pancakes for breakfast. I have used this recipe many times, and just love it.

But if you are looking for a perfect fall dinner suggestion, here it is:

ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients:
1,5 kg raw pumpkin
4 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp oil/butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cumin
1 liter vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper
sour cream, cream or creme fraiche - for serving
roasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish


1. Roast the pumpkin and the garlic.
You need about 1 kg of actual pumpkin "meat", so a small pumpkin of 1,5 kg should be enough. Cut the pumpkin in half to remove the seeds and the stringy parts. Cut in wedges and place it on a baking tray. Roast for about 30 minutes on 200 C or until tender, but take the garlic out after 20 minutes so it doesnt burn.

2. When the pumpkin is soft and fully cooked, remove the skin (it will peel off really easily) and puree with a blender until smooth.

3. While the pumpkin is in the oven, chop the onion and cook on medium heat until brown and soft. Add all the spices, pumpkin and the stock and let it all simmer for 30 minutes. Add the roasted garlic in the end.

4. Optional: Roast your pumpkin seeds as well. Rinse and dry them, sprinkle with salt (and pepper), and roast on 200 C for 15-30 minutes, and you have the perfect snack and garnish for your soup!

5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. If you only have a standing blender you will have to wait till the soup cools a bit before you do this.

6. Serve hot with a dollop of cream or sour cream, roasted pumpkin seeds and some fresh rolls on the side.

We found the recipe on Exclusively Food.

Make your own taco seasoning

If you are a little bit like me: skeptical to ridiculous long ingredient lists, and with an interest for saving money, this recipe might be perfect for you. Buying taco seasoning is not a huge expense, but for years I have been making my own, and I like to think I am saving money. It also feels good to know exactly what goes in my dinner. The recipe is super easy, and all the special equipment you need is a mortar and pestle.

TACO SEASONING

This makes a little bit more than a normal spice jar you get in the store here in Norway.

4 Cloves (nellikspiker)
4 tsp Coriander seed (korianderfrø)
20 Pepper corn (pepperkorn)
4 tsp Cumin seed (spisskummenfrø)

3 tsp Paprika spice, ground
2 tsp Chili powder (or more or less according to your taste)
2 tsp Salt

First, roast the whole spices in a hot and dry frying pan. This will bring out the flavors. If you dont have whole spices, ground ones will do as well. For this batch I used ground cumin - actually, I might never have used whole cumin...
Grind the whole spices with a mortar and pestle.
Mix all the spices and transfer to a glass jar for storage.

You will probably need much less of this spice mix compared to the packets you buy in the store. I sprinkle some over the meat when cooking, so my advice is to start with a little and taste as you go.

PS. Spice and Herb illustration by Gayana 

Seed and Herb Crackerbread/Knekkebrød

Slow-baking crackers doesn´t sound like the perfect summer activity, but I was craving said crackers, and decided to brave the heat. I discovered some store bought crackers with a Mediterranean flare a while ago, and wanted to see if I could recreate the flavor at home.

My recipe is based on one found in the book "Godt å gi bort" by Nina Dreyer Hensley and Jim Hensley, but I adapted it to what was in my cupboard, and added herbs to half the batch.

SEED AND HERB CRACKERBREAD

Ingredients:
4 dl whole grain spelt flour
4 dl oats
2 dl sunflower seeds
1 dl flax seeds
1 dl sesame seeds
1,25 dl oat bran
1 tsp salt
3 tsp herbs (I used a mix of dried and fresh oregano, parsley and chives, basically what I had at hand. This was not enough for a substantial herb flavor, probably partly because the crackers have so much flavor in them selves. Double or triple the amount of herbs to your taste.)
7 dl water
extra seeds for decoration

1. Heat up your oven to 180 C and grease or line two baking sheets

2. Mix all the dry ingredients

3. Add water and let the mixture sit for a few minutes.

4. Spread the dough evenly on the two baking sheets.
A spatula is helpful in this process, but be armed with patience,
as it can be tricky to get an even layer without holes.

5. Sprinkle some extra seeds on top if desired

6. Cook the crackers for 15 minutes, take them out of the oven 

and use a pizza slicer or knife to cut into pieces.

7. Let the baking sheets switch places and cook for another 40 minutes. Check if they are crispy, if not, cook for another 5-20 minutes, but keep a close watch so they don't burn.

Alternatively you can cook the crackers on the hot air setting at 160C, and let them cook for about 1 hour total. I tried both, since I only own one baking sheet (it's true, and I wish it was easy to find the right size so I could get at least one more), and I think I liked the second option best. 

Store the crackers in air tight tins,
 and enjoy with cheese or any other favorite topping!