Vegan Pumpkin Leek Soup with Smoked Paprika and Homemade Spelt Crackers

To make the soup:

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC or 350 ºF. Halve the pumpkin and use a spoon to remove all seeds. Rub the pumpkin with olive oil, put the round side up in a baking dish and pour in about 200 ml or 1 cup of water. Bake it for 45 minutes or until tender. Let it cool.

Meanwhile, discard the very tip of the leek root and the dark green parts at the top. Cut the stalks lengthwise. Wash them well to remove the dirt. Roughly chop.

Put a skillet or a pot over medium heat. Chop the garlic clove and carrots. Add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, chopped leek, carrots and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft.

Puree the pumpkin flesh with a fork. Reduce the heat and add it to the pot. Mix everything together, add turmeric, sweet and 1/2 teaspoon of the smoked paprika (leaving 1/2 teaspoons for the crackers), a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add 2 cups of water. Let it all cook for 5 more minutes.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add coconut milk.

Garnish with coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, a pinch of smoked paprika and crackers.

To make the crackers:

Preheat the oven to 200 °C or 390 °F.

Roughly crush the pumpkin seeds with a mortar and pestle.

In a bowl or a food processor, combine crushed pumpkin seeds, flour, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Mix well and add cold water. Knead until smooth. Roll the dough as thin as possible. Shape doesn’t matter. Transfer it to a piece of backing paper and roll once again. Bake for 4 minutes, then flip and bake for 4 more minutes or until hard and golden. Let it cool and crush it into pieces.

Enjoy!