Creamy pumpkin soup with just a gorgonzola cheese heart is an easy-to-make recipe from my comfort food cookbook. Here find how a classic simple dish turns really amazing adding only a bit of Italian cheese. And you can choose between sweet or spicy gorgonzoia cheese as you prefer.
Autumn season calls for comforting and warming soup. I love all kind of soups.
Spicy, vegetarian or with bone broth. There is something of nourishing for the soul and the body. But in Italy the term soup indicates different preparations we call minestra, zuppa and crema or vellutata. Where cream is not to be confused with custard or pastry cream. The term refers rather to the texture.
The Italian world of the Soups. Differences among minestra, zuppa and vellutata
In Italy you find different types of soup recipes. Even though culinary borders are much less restrictive these days, minestra is traditionally more In addition, a minestra is a soup that, in addition to vegetables, includes pasta or rice. While a zuppa would never contain pasta or rice but may include slices of toasted bread or croutons, which can be either part of the soup, or served on the side. No wonder, the Italian term zuppa comes from the verb inzuppare (to dunk). Vellutata (or Crema di Verdure) is yet another type of soup that usually contains eggs and / or heavy cream or flour, where all is blended to a smooth, velvety texture. Usually instead of eggs, flour or heavy cream, I prefer adding in a potato.
I obtain the same smooth texture but the dish is healthier.
My Pumpkin Soup
This recipe of pumpkin soup is a crema or vellutata (from the world velvet, i.e. smooth).
Making homemade soup recipes is easier than you think.
This dish takes little time to prepare, and looks beautiful into the bowl.
Easy-to-make, you need time just to cook vegetables.
Smoothing them after the cooking to make the soup is so fast.
When I cook a basic soup with water and vegetables, I enrich the flavor with a bit of grated parmigiano reggiano -or another tasty cheese-, some spices, sometimes croutons and, at the end, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Heart of Gorgonzola Cheese, Why?
The savory recipes that have the pumpkin as their main ingredient, for me, always need an element that exalts the sweetness of this vegetable without making it to seem boring.
That’s why I choose to add a heart so tasty and full of character like gorgonzola.
You can choose between sweet or spicy gorgonzola, as you like. And when the cheese slowly melts and mixes into the cream, you’ll feel how good is!
I think pumpkin soup is colorful and yet elegant. So, let’s cook and enjoy your week!
Enjoy your good seasonal comfort food, Monica
Cooking Tip
If you don’t like to clean pumpkin, why do it? Usually I cook it in the oven before cleaning it, as it makes the process much easier.
Recipe
serves 4
Ingredients
pumpkin, about 700 g
Italian gorgonzola, 100 g
potatoes, 500 g
salt and sweet paprika powder to taste
2 shallots
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano
1 l of water
Directions
Cook the whole pumpkin in preheated oven (180C degrees) about 20 minutes or until soften.
Let lit cool down and clean pumpkin. Chop into pieces.
Meanwhile sauté finely chopped shallots with a little olive oil in a pot. Add in sweet paprika and stir.
Now, add in peeled potato cubes, pumpkin and water.
Cook at low-medium heat until potatoes are soft.
Then use a blender to reduce the vegetable to cream, seasoning with a little olive oil and parmigiano reggiano. Stir well.
Sprinkled paprika on each bowl and place a generous heart of PDO gorgonzola in the middle.
Serve hot in a bowl.
