Halloween "Hellfire Harvest" Pumpkin Soup

A little bit of spicy Halloween magic, cooked over live fire. Tis the season of the squash so this harvest time grab a gourd and get going with this recipe!

This smoky pumpkin soup starts with chunks of pumpkin and juicy tomatoes charred over the Kasai Grill until soft, sweet and caramelised. Blended with cream, warming spices and a touch of seasoning, it becomes a silky autumn soup with a delicious hint of smoke.

Perfect for Halloween gatherings, Bonfire Night or serving up a warming bowl after a chilly evening around the fire. Just beware… this pumpkin has been through the flames of hell!

Method

1. Prepare the pumpkin

Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin and squash into evenly sized chunks. Toss with olive oil, cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika, salt and pepper until well coated. Add the chilli flakes to your spice level.

2. Get it over the flames

Fire up the Kasai Grill and allow the flames to settle into a bed of glowing embers. Place the pumpkin, tomatoes, red onion and garlic into the Kasai Deep Fire Basket.

Roast over the coals for around 20–30 minutes, turning regularly, until the pumpkin is soft with charred edges and the tomatoes have blistered and caramelised. Keep an eye on the vegetables to ensure they char rather than burn.

3. Bring the ingredients together

Remove the vegetables from the basket. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin and transfer everything to a heatproof pot. Add the vegetable stock and simmer gently for 5 minutes to bring all those smoky, sweet flavours together.

4. Blend until silky smooth

Carefully blend the mixture until smooth. Stir in the double cream and add the chilli flakes if you fancy a little extra Halloween heat. Adjust the seasoning and add a splash more stock if you prefer a thinner soup.

5. Create some Halloween magic

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle a little cream over the surface. Use a cocktail stick to drag lines through the cream into a spiderweb pattern. Pop some extra chilli on top if you want a fiery finish. Then, top with toasted pumpkin seeds and crispy sage for a seasonal touch.

Kasai cooking tip

Don't be afraid of a little char. Those blackened edges on the pumpkin and blistered tomatoes bring a wonderful smoky sweetness to the soup. Just avoid letting the vegetables burn through completely, as this can make the finished soup bitter.

The finishing touch: Serve in hollowed-out mini pumpkins for a proper Halloween centrepiece. Add some crusty bread, gather everyone around the Kasai and let the ghost stories begin.

After all, there's nothing scary about this soup… except how quickly the bowl disappears!