Spice Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Nut Dukkah

It's well and truly soup season and a good roasted pumpkin is one of my absolute favourites at this time of year. To jazz things up a bit, I made my own 'dukkah' - an Egyptian and Middle Eastern condiment consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts, and spices -  to sprinkle over the top.

In this rendition, I used a regular pumpkin but you could swap it out for butternut squash or even sweet potato if you like. For the dukkah, I used hazelnuts but you can pretty much use whatever you like - almonds or macadamia nuts would be lovely. This recipe is also vegan if you use veg stock and leave off the Greek yoghurt.

Spice Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Nut Dukkah

Serves 4-6

1.2kg pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed

5 tbsp oil

½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp ground cumin

1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves

2 onions, finely chopped

1.25 litres hot vegetable (or chicken) stock

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)

For the dukkah:

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp nuts (I used hazelnuts)

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sea salt flakes

For the dukkah, toast the seeds for a few minutes in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cool, then crush in a pestle and mortar (or in a jug with the end of a rolling pin), and transfer to a bowl. Toast the nuts in the same way, then cool and chop before adding to the bowl of seeds along with the dried oregano and salt. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut the pumpkin into large chunks then add to a roasting tin with 3 tbsp of the oil, the spices and the whole garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper, toss to coat then roast for 45 to 50 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked. 

Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions with a big pinch of salt and cover with a lid. Leave to cook for around 15 minutes until softened. Take the lid off then cook for another 10 minutes until caramelised.

Add the cooked pumpkin and garlic cloves (without the skins) to the onion pan. Pour in the stock, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and blend (either with a stick blender or in a food processor) until smooth. Season to taste then divide between bowls. Dollop on the Greek yoghurt, if you like, then sprinkle over the dukkah and enjoy.