Autumn is the perfect time of year for pumpkin soups, and pumpkin soups have been a staple of Hylian cuisine throughout the ages. Pumm made a fantastic pumpkin soup at the lumpy pumpkin back in the early Era of the Sky. Ordon Pumpkins we’re combined with reek fish and goat cheese to make an unusually delicious soup in the Era of Twilight. Hateno village perfected their own variation of pumpkin soup using a little wheat and Kakariko pumpkins during the Era of the Wild. Even Link’s grandma had her own variation of autumn squash soup (with an island twist) on Outset Island in the Era of Winds.
We’ve made all of these variations on pumpkin soups so far. What other pumpkin soup could there be?
Well, there is another. For this one, we leave Hyrule and head to fashion centric kingdom of Hytopia. Here, the Triforce Heroes saved Princess Styla from a curse of drab life without fashion. On their adventures through the Drablands they find an intriguing ingredient, the carrumpkin. This naturally occurring carrot and pumpkin hybrid is perfect for a soup!
To bring this soup to life, we use an almost equal balance of carrot and kabocha (Japanese pumpkin). I imagine a lavish kingdom such as Hytopia would have an incredible spice trade, so we will enhance this soup with a lot of fall spice to add a nice punch of flavor. The end result is a velvety, spiced soup with a balance of carrot and pumpkin flavor. It’s definitely fitting for dinner in such a posh kingdom!
Ingredients
2 lbs kabocha squash, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
1½ lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup half and half
Olive oil
¼ cup soup cream (optional, for garnish)
Place a Dutch Oven or stock pot over medium heat. Once the pot is warm, add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot and then add the onions. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes. Now add the carrots, stir, and allow the carrots to cook for about 3 more minutes, until the onions have softened. Add the garlic, stir, and allow the garlic to cook for one minute, until fragrant.
Add the chopped squash, salt, and pepper, and stir to blend the contents of the pot. Add the vegetable broth and stir again. Turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the carrots and squash are completely soft. Half way through the simmering process, after about 5-6 minutes, add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, and brown sugar, and stir to fully incorporate the spices into the soup.
Once the vegetables have softened, remove the pot from the heat, and fully purée the soup with an immersion blender. You can also purée the soup in batches using a food processor or blender. Once the soup is fully blended and smooth, add the half and half, and stir to blend it into the soup.
Return the soup to the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add additional vegetable broth to thin it to the desired consistency. After five minutes, salt the soup to taste, and the soup is ready to serve.
To serve the soup, pour the soup into small soup bowls. Garnish the soup with swirls or “swishes” of sour cream. Combine the sour cream with one or two tablespoons of water or additional half and half to thin it out. Use a small spoon to swish or drag designs of the sour cream across the top of the soup. You can also add dollops of the thin sour cream and drag it through the soup with a toothpick to create designs. Be creative! And enjoy the soup!
Learn more about the Carrumpkin from The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes at Zelda Dungeon.