cooking around the world: Australia (part 2!)

After trying some Aussie desserts, the crispness of last night seemed like a perfect time for a fall meal.  Simple, yet delicious, and the kids enjoyed it more than I thought they might.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1/4 t. salt
2 c. half and half (can substitute evaporated milk if desired)
2 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1/8 t. cinnamon
2 t. minced parsley
1/3 c. sour cream

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft but not brown.  Add curry powder and cook 1-2 min. longer.

Place curried onion in a food processor or blender.  Add pumpkin and salt and process until smooth.  Add half and half and process again until smooth.

Pour pumpkin mixture back into sauce pan and stir in broth.  Heat soup slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, stir cinnamon and minced parsley into the sour cream.

Serve soup steaming hot with a dollop of seasoned sour cream atop each bowl.

Damper

This is a bread used in the Australian bush, simple to make with self-rising flour.  Apparently cooks like this flour whether they dwell in the bush or the city!

4 c. self-rising flour
1/2 t. salt (called for 1 t. but this was way too much!)
1 T. butter, softened
1 c. milk
1/2 c. water

Preheat over to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt.  Use a pastry knife to cut in butter until dough has a coarse, crumbly texture.  Use hands to make a hole in the center of flour mixture.  Pour milk and water into hole and stir until liquid is evenly distributed and dough holds together.

Turn the dough out onto a lighly floured countertop and shape into a round loaf.  Place loaf onto lightly greased cookie sheet and use a knife to cut a cross in top of dough.  Place dough in over and bake at 425 for 25 min.  Lower oven to 350 and bake for 5-10 min. more, until loaf is golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped.  (I wish I'd known how to do that, as mine was a bit undercooked!)