Pumpkin and Smoked Paprika Soup with Prawns, Preserved Lemon and Toasted Almonds

, from Issue #37. August, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Pumpkin and Smoked Paprika Soup with Prawns, Preserved Lemon and Toasted Almonds

Spice up your regular pumpkin soup with the warmth of smoked paprika, the tang of preserved lemon and crunchy almonds all topped off with juicy prawns. 

 

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
750 grams pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly  ground pepper

Topping
18-24 raw prawns, peeled with tail on
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 pieces preserved lemon
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

METHOD

Soup: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the paprika, onion, carrot, garlic and thyme with a good pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until the vegetables are soft and lightly coloured. Add the pumpkin and stock, season and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Cool until warm then process in batches until smooth.

Topping: Heat the oil and paprika in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the prawns until golden and just cooked through. Add the garlic and parsley for the last minute of cooking. Season.

To serve: Remove the flesh from the preserved lemon and slice the skin thinly. If the soup is very thick, add extra hot stock to thin it down. Ladle into warm shallow soup bowls and top each serve with 3-4 prawns. Scatter over the lemon and almonds and spoon over the oil from cooking the prawns.