Kürbiscremesuppe

The Styrian pumpkin cream soup: roasted pumpkin blended smooth with stock and cream, finished at the table with a spiral of near-black Styrian pumpkin seed oil and a scatter of roasted seeds, one of the most arresting presentations of the Central European kitchen

Origin: Styria, Austria

Kürbiscremesuppe is the signature soup of Styria (Steiermark), the green, hilly southern province of Austria that is the spiritual home of the pumpkin in Central Europe. Pumpkins have grown in Styrian kitchen gardens since the sixteenth century, but the region's true contribution to the world is the Styrian hull-less pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo var. styriaca), bred over generations for seeds with thin, hull-less coats that can be roasted and pressed directly into Kürbiskernöl, Styrian pumpkin seed oil, a product granted Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Union in 1996. This soup is the showcase for that oil. The base is simple: pumpkin softened and blended smooth with stock and a little cream into a velvety, pale orange purée. The drama comes at the moment of service, when a thin ribbon of the deep green-black seed oil is drawn across the surface, so dark that a thin film glows red against the light, and a scattering of roasted pumpkin seeds is added for crunch. The oil is never heated; its warm, roasted, nutty flavour and its striking colour are added raw at the last moment. The result is a dish that is at once a humble autumn soup and one of the most visually beautiful preparations of the Austrian table.

Ingredients

Soup

800 g pumpkin (ideally Hokkaido or kabocha), peeled, deseeded, and cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 floury potato, peeled and cubed (for body)
2 tbsp butter
800 ml vegetable stock
100 ml double cream
1 tsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
salt and white pepper, to taste

To finish

3 tbsp Styrian pumpkin seed oil (Kürbiskernöl), to finish
3 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds, to finish

Method

Melt the butter in a large pot and soften the onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes without colouring. Add the cubed pumpkin and potato and stir to coat.
Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pumpkin and potato are completely soft.
Blend the soup until completely smooth, then return to the pot. Stir in the cream and the vinegar, and season with salt and white pepper. Warm through gently without boiling.
Ladle into warm bowls. Draw a spiral or thread of Styrian pumpkin seed oil across the surface of each and scatter over the roasted pumpkin seeds. Serve at once.

Notes

The dish lives or dies by the pumpkin seed oil: genuine Styrian Kürbiskernöl (look for the PDO mark) has a depth and a green-black colour that no other oil matches, and it is the entire point of the soup. A Hokkaido (red kuri) pumpkin is the classic choice for its sweet, chestnutty flesh and edible skin. Some cooks add a little grated ginger or a pinch of nutmeg, and a swirl of crème fraîche alongside the oil makes the presentation even more striking. The roasted seeds should be the green Styrian hull-less kind if you can find them.

The Gastrographer

Name: Kürbiscremesuppe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Austria
Ingredients: 800 g pumpkin (ideally Hokkaido or kabocha), peeled, deseeded, and cubed; 1 onion, chopped; 1 garlic clove, chopped; 1 floury potato, peeled and cubed (for body); 2 tbsp butter; 800 ml vegetable stock; 100 ml double cream; 1 tsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar; salt and white pepper, to taste; 3 tbsp Styrian pumpkin seed oil (Kürbiskernöl), to finish; 3 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds, to finish

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