Pumpkin Soup with Orzo and Amaretti | Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean

The pumpkin soup with orzo and amaretti is inspired by the fillings in the pumpkin risotto and tortellini from the Northern Italian city of Mantua. I feel like a fellow traveller on a Claudia Roden’s culinary journey across the Mediterranean. At the same time, what better way to make some classics traditional dishes and to immerse in the healthful Mediterranean diets.

As I turn the pages in Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean, I see a lifetime of recipe collections unfolding. The recipe generally takes up one page; the picture of the dish on the opposite page. Overall the ingredient lists are not extensive and the cooking instructions take up only a few lines. Instantly, the impression is the recipes are user-friendly and approachable for the home cooks. I can hardly resist loving recipes like these: sunny, soulful and achievable.

That’s how I choose the pumpkin soup with orzo and amaretti, especially after an exhausting week competing at the Nastar National Championship in alpine skiing. I need some old-fashioned comfort food to combat altitude sickness and the unforgiving environment.

You start by simmering chunks of pumpkin or squash (I use both) in a boiling chicken or vegetable stock for about 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to purée the squash to a smooth texture. Then add milk. Orzo is cooked separately and added to the soup before serving. Lastly, sprinkle ground cinnamon, Parmesan and crumbled amaretti over the soup. From start to finish, it takes less than a half hour. For the minimal amount of effort and time, this soup delivers superb results.

There is nothing not to like about these easy and soulful Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean recipes. My journey cooking with Claudia Roden has started; I so look forward to a deeper dive!

Claudia Roden

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Pumpkin Soup with Orzo and Amaretti | Claudia Roden's Mediterranean

By Claudia Roden – Serves: 6-8

The pumpkins of the city of Mantua in northern Italy (called capello del prete because they look like a priest's hat) are celebrated for their exceptionally sweet and delicate flavor, and the city is famous for its pumpkin risotto and tortelli. This is the source of inspiration of this soup.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 lb /800g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into pieces
• 2 1/4 cups /530ml water
• 2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
• 3/4 cup /150g orzo
• 2 cups /480ml whole milk
• salt and black pepper
• ground cinnamon for sprinkling
• grated Parmesan for sprinkling
• 9 crunchy (not chewy) amaretti biscuits, roughly crushed

Instructions

1

Put the pumpkin or squash in a large saucepan with the water and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered over low heat for 20 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft.

2

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes, until al dente, and then drain quickly.

3

Blend the pumpkin or squash to a purée using an immersion blender (or in a food processor), then add the milk. Bring to a simmer, taking care not to let it boil over, and season with salt and pepper.

4

Just before serving, bring the soup to a simmer and add the cooked orzo. Pass around small bowls of cinnamon, grated Parmesan and crushed amaretti for your guests to sprinkle over the soup.

Notes

Adapted from Claudia Roden's Mediterranean, Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel