Pumpkin Soup

Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater,

Had a wife and couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.

Pumpkin Soup is a classic really - but something I have never cooked before. Whilst I love my mum's pumpkin soup I wanted to try something different; I chose Gourmet Traveler's Pumpkin Soup, as it was different to other soups with the addition of tomatoes and rice - I am assuming the rice is a thickening agent. I can already foretell it may not turn out great as I have halved the recipe - which I don't think will benefit this particular recipe, but we will see how it goes.

Some Facts About PUMPKIN:

• The word pumpkin originates from the word “pepon” which is Greek for “large melon.”
• In America, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween.
• Pumpkin growers often compete to see whose pumpkins are the most massive. Festivals are often dedicated to the pumpkin and these competitions.

Ease: 3.5/5. Cutting the vegetables is the only real time consuming part - other than that you leave it simmering on the stove before hand-blending in the pot and then stirring through some cream. At the 30min mark I was unimpressed to find the rice had burnt on the bottom - had to switch pots which means more cleaning - not happy Jan.
Prep: 20mins.
Cooking Time: 30-40mins.
Total: Around 1hour.

Taste: 2/5. The texture was very gelatinous, more like a pumpkin mash rather than a soup. It was very sweet and I could not taste the herbs at all. The texture was also very grainy and sticky. I didn't mind the flavour but it was not the best pumpkin soup I have had. Ryan absolutely hated it, which is why I have scored it a 2, rather than 2.5.

Would I make it again: No. Will probably just make mum's pumpkin soup in the future. In future if the Gourmet Traveler recipe is worth repeating I will type it out so you can try it as well.