As the nights get longer and the air gets chilly, there’s nothing better than having some warm and comforting food to keep the chill of autumn at bay.
Halloween is the perfect occasion to get creative in the kitchen – carve your pumpkins, light your candles and throw together this spiced pumpkin soup recipe that is just as cosy as it is Creepy. And, because this is a Happy Drains Halloween, we’ve thrown in some spooky tips into the mix to keep your kitchen sink flowing as smoothly as your soup.
Spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe (to die for…)
Serves: 4 hungry ghouls
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic – Count on this to keep vampires and bland flavours away
1 onion -To add depth and sweetness, a thriller for your taste buds
750g pumpkin flesh – Fresh from your jack-o’-lantern (And remember, pumpkin slops belong in the bin, not the sink!)
2 carrots – To give your soup the glowing, autumn colour
1 apple – A little sweetness to balance the spice
1 tsp ground cumin & ½ tsp chilli powder – A bit of warmth to ward off October chills
A knob of butter or drizzle of olive oil – Just what every good potion needs
Salt & pepper – To enhance your soup and conjure flavour from you know where!
1 litre vegetable stock – The boiling cauldron base for your sinister soup.
Optional cream swirl / or coconut milk – (For a ghostly finish).
Instructions
- Sauté the onion, garlic, and carrots in butter or oil until soft and fragrant.
That haunting aroma? Just deliciousness in disguise. - Add the pumpkin, apple, and spices and stir for a minute to release their magical, warming flavours.
- Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft and tender.
- Blend until smooth, season to taste, and swirl through the cream or coconut milk.
- Serve hot with crusty bread – perfect fuel for trick-or-treating or a spooky movie night with family and friends.
Don’t turn your sink into a Halloween Horror!
Before washing up, there’s one final spell for a happy home: Never pour pumpkin pulp, seeds, or peel down the kitchen sink! Pumpkin guts may seem harmless, but once they cool, they solidify and cling to the inside of your pipes and plumbing – creating pumpkin goo that’s so sticky and yucky that it can lead to a badly blocked kitchen sink or an even bigger horror of a completely blocked drain.
Instead
Compost all the pumpkin waste into your compost bin or food waste bin. Wipe mixing bowls and pans with kitchen paper before rinsing in the sink. Use a sink strainer to catch any rogue bits before they disappear into the drain. If your sink starts to gurgle or smell funny, don’t fret – just call Happy Drains. You could say that we’re the Van Helsing of the drainage underworld. (or that we’re your friendly local team of drainage experts) And we will have things flowing again before you know it.
So light your lanterns, gather your spoons, and enjoy a steaming bowl of this frightfully good Halloween pumpkin soup. And remember – if you do have a drainage disaster give us a bell on 0800 849 8099. We’ll get it sorted quicker than you can say “Pumpkin spice and everything nice!”
Have a Hap-Hap-Happy Halloween!
from David, Will, & the Happy Drains Team