Lazy leftover-pumpkin soup for one: a November dinner on one burner and 30 cm of counter
Soften half an onion in butter, stir in 200 g of leftover canned pumpkin purée and 300 ml of stock, put the lid on and let it simmer for 10 minutes while you do absolutely nothing. No blender needed: the purée arrived smooth, so the onion is the only texture. Call it rustic.
1 serving · 1 burner · 30 cm of counter · about 20 min
The order: what comes out when
With one free surface you cannot take everything out at once. Each line is one round: out of the fridge or cupboard, onto the board, into the pan, and the counter is free again.
- Out: pan, butter, onion, knife → Board: Dice the half onion on the board and slide it straight into the pan. → Pan: butter, onion (4 min)
- Out: garlic, cumin or nutmeg → Board: Slice the garlic and tip it into the pan with the cumin. → Pan: garlic, cumin (1 min)
- Out: pumpkin purée, stock cube, milk, spoon, two mugs → Pan: pumpkin purée, stock → Waits: milk in mug 2 on the windowsill (2 min)
- Out: nothing new → Waits: milk in mug 2 on the windowsill (10 min)
- Out: salt, pepper, fork → Pan: milk, salt and pepper (2 min)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter (or olive oil) · fridge
- 1/2 small onion or 1 shallot, diced onion or shallot · cupboard
- 1 clove, sliced garlic · cupboard
- 1/4 tsp cumin or a small pinch of nutmeg ground cumin, or nutmeg · cupboard
- 200 g (about 3/4 cup; most of what the pumpkin pasta left in a 425 g can) pumpkin purée (canned, 100% pumpkin) · fridge
- 300 ml (1 stock cube + water, about 1 1/4 mugs) vegetable or chicken stock · cupboard
- to taste salt and black pepper · cupboard
- 2 tbsp (optional) milk, cream or plain yogurt · fridge
- 1-2 slices (optional) bread, to dunk · cupboard
Gear
- One burner: One hob ring or a plug-in single induction burner. Induction needs a pan with a magnetic base.
- One pan with a lid: A small saucepan, or the same deep 24-26 cm (10 in) pan as the pumpkin pasta. No lid? A flat plate on top works.
- One cutting board: About 30 x 20 cm. It holds one onion and one garlic clove, then it is done for the night.
- One knife, one spoon, one fork, two mugs: Mug 1 is the measuring jug for the stock; mug 2 holds the milk until the end, then becomes the bowl if you like.