It’s cold, let’s comfort ourselves with a beautiful and colorful pumpkin and buckwheat soup with black kale. I love soups, those rich and tasty ones, full with grains and legumes, like this one.
In winter, we have the entire range of cabbages and pumpkins available, better take advantage of it. I added some tender black-eyed peas, so the result is a complete first course of macro nutrients, gluten-free.
Then buckwheat is particularly suitable for the cold season as it is a warming pseudo-cereal, fairly yang. Macrobiotics associate it with kidney energy.
Additionally, buckwheat is rich in all the essential amino acids such as lysine, threonine, and tryptophan, rich in vitamins like those of the B and E groups, and even vitamin P. It also contains various minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and iron. It provides energy and vigor, perfect for athletes. With its precious flavonoids, it keeps bad cholesterol low, and its magnesium reduces the risk of diabetes, as its glycemic index is 54, very low.
So here is my pumpkin and buckwheat soup with black kale. If you want to try other legume soups, check out:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Affordable
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
Ingredients for Pumpkin and Buckwheat Soup
- 7 oz black-eyed peas (cooked)
- 1/2 cup buckwheat
- 10.5 oz Mantova pumpkin
- 3.5 oz black kale
- to taste vegetable broth
- 1 bunch aromatic herbs
- 1 onion
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch pepper
- 2 tsp rice miso (optional)
Tools
- 1 Colander rice strainer
- 2 Bowls
- 2 Small Bowls
Steps for Pumpkin and Buckwheat Soup
If you don’t already have cooked black-eyed peas, prepare them from dry. Soak them for 12 hours beforehand and then cook them under pressure with a few bay leaves for 20 minutes.
Soak the buckwheat for a couple of hours as well, then rinse and strain it well with a rice strainer.
Peel and dice the pumpkin, wash and chop the more tender leaves of the black kale, removing the tougher central part that you will keep to make a pesto.
Peel and finely chop an onion. Pour a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a large pot, add the chopped onion and let it brown.
Add the diced pumpkin and stir for a few minutes to infuse flavor. Then add the buckwheat to the pot and let it infuse and toast a little.
Add the black kale and the vegetable broth to cover the vegetables by two fingers. Also add the sprig of aromatic herbs.
Cook for about 30 minutes over medium heat with the lid on. Turn off, taste, and if you use rice miso, I recommend adding a couple of teaspoons dissolved with a little hot water.
Mix the soup well so that the pumpkin creates a nice creamy texture, pour into bowls. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a grind of pepper, and accompany with whole grain croutons.
Tips from thyme and lentils
The soup keeps well covered in the refrigerator for a couple of days. You can vary the vegetables, for example, instead of black kale, use kale. Instead of buckwheat, try it with millet. Just be careful to choose grains that cook in about half an hour.
