Pumpkin Soup
Equipment Used: Large Saucepan, Silicone Spatula (or another utensil to stir with), Stick Blender, Chopping Knife, Measuring Cup, Tsp measuring devices (1, 1/2 and 1/4)
Evaluation:
Rating: 3.8/5
Taste: Sweet, Watery, Hot, Sharp
Texture: Creamy, Smooth, Mushy, Slimy
Aroma: Pungent, Fresh, Smokey (the pepper we added to the soup provided a smokey/spicy aroma), Aromatic
Appearance: Fresh, Watery, Shiny, Creamy
How does your recipe fit within the Australian guide to healthy eating? The recipe is composed of foods from 2 of the 5 food groups (cream = dairy group, potato, pumpkin, leek, onion = vegetable group). This meal is composed mainly of pumpkin (a very nutritious food), other vegetables. However, the amount of cream used can impact how healthy the meal is, because of the fat content. But overall, pumpkin soup is a very beneficial and healthy meal.
How did you delegate the tasks during the cook with your partner?
One of the group members did more of the preparation, such as cutting the vegetables, and the other group member stirred and blended the soup. We both helped prepare, clean, and dry the equipment.
What aspects of this cook did you find difficult and how did you overcome these?
Me and my partner have actually found it difficult to chop the onions in previous lessons, so this week we decided to chop the onion with a new technique. We choose the technique that the teacher had taught us, which is too cut off the ends of the onion, and make partial slices across the onion, and then finally dice it, all while keeping the onion in contact using our hand. This technique worked, and is one we will use in the future.
What aspects of this cook did you enjoy and why? Elaborate on your 5 star rating
I liked the simplicity of this weeks meal. The method was very straightforward, and largely focused on chopping skills, which was a good aspect to focus on especially since it is one of our first cooks, and chopping is something we will definitely need for cooking in the future. The reason I gave the pumpkin soup a 3.8/5 was because of two reasons. Firstly, I found the meal had a smokey/spicy taste that overpowered the pumpkins sweetness, which was most likely our fault as we added too much pepper to the soup. Secondly, my partner and I didn't chop the vegetables well enough, as there were some chunks of pumpkin in the meal (it didn't necessarily create a bad taste, it just caused a strange texture).
What new skills did you learn this week?
I didn't exactly learn a new skill this week, I just feel like a improved some basic cooking aspects, like chopping vegetables, blending, multitasking and stirring.
A brief history of this dish, 50 -100 words (where did it originate from etc)
Some believe pumpkin soup originated in France, and others believe that the Haitians invented the soup as a way to celebrate their independence from the French Colonists. However, pumpkin soup has now become a part of the North African cuisine, in countries like Mozambique and Namibia. Pumpkin Soup was actually a main component of the diet for the prisoners of war in North Vietnamese prison camps (during the Vietnam war).
Rating: 3.8/5
Taste: Sweet, Watery, Hot, Sharp
Texture: Creamy, Smooth, Mushy, Slimy
Aroma: Pungent, Fresh, Smokey (the pepper we added to the soup provided a smokey/spicy aroma), Aromatic
Appearance: Fresh, Watery, Shiny, Creamy
How does your recipe fit within the Australian guide to healthy eating? The recipe is composed of foods from 2 of the 5 food groups (cream = dairy group, potato, pumpkin, leek, onion = vegetable group). This meal is composed mainly of pumpkin (a very nutritious food), other vegetables. However, the amount of cream used can impact how healthy the meal is, because of the fat content. But overall, pumpkin soup is a very beneficial and healthy meal.
How did you delegate the tasks during the cook with your partner?
One of the group members did more of the preparation, such as cutting the vegetables, and the other group member stirred and blended the soup. We both helped prepare, clean, and dry the equipment.
What aspects of this cook did you find difficult and how did you overcome these?
Me and my partner have actually found it difficult to chop the onions in previous lessons, so this week we decided to chop the onion with a new technique. We choose the technique that the teacher had taught us, which is too cut off the ends of the onion, and make partial slices across the onion, and then finally dice it, all while keeping the onion in contact using our hand. This technique worked, and is one we will use in the future.
What aspects of this cook did you enjoy and why? Elaborate on your 5 star rating
I liked the simplicity of this weeks meal. The method was very straightforward, and largely focused on chopping skills, which was a good aspect to focus on especially since it is one of our first cooks, and chopping is something we will definitely need for cooking in the future. The reason I gave the pumpkin soup a 3.8/5 was because of two reasons. Firstly, I found the meal had a smokey/spicy taste that overpowered the pumpkins sweetness, which was most likely our fault as we added too much pepper to the soup. Secondly, my partner and I didn't chop the vegetables well enough, as there were some chunks of pumpkin in the meal (it didn't necessarily create a bad taste, it just caused a strange texture).
What new skills did you learn this week?
I didn't exactly learn a new skill this week, I just feel like a improved some basic cooking aspects, like chopping vegetables, blending, multitasking and stirring.
A brief history of this dish, 50 -100 words (where did it originate from etc)
Some believe pumpkin soup originated in France, and others believe that the Haitians invented the soup as a way to celebrate their independence from the French Colonists. However, pumpkin soup has now become a part of the North African cuisine, in countries like Mozambique and Namibia. Pumpkin Soup was actually a main component of the diet for the prisoners of war in North Vietnamese prison camps (during the Vietnam war).