So I think I've done some of the more well-known fantasy foods, all of which have been sweet, so now it's time to change it up a bit and do a more obscure and savory dish. This one appeared in the newest Zelda game, Twilight Princess, in the Snowpeak temple as a soup that Yeto makes for his sick wife, Yeta. The soup, thanks to it's reekfish base, has healing properties that increase as Link finds more ingredients to add throughout the temple, namely a pumpkin and goat cheese from Link's hometown, Ordon. I took a basic pumpkin soup and made some modifications. I decided to make the fish stock and the filet optional because while I think pumpkin and goat cheese are a match made in heaven (or Hyrule), fish and pumpkin and goat cheese might seem like a strange mix for some. Fish or no fish, this soup makes for a perfect winter dinner!
2 pounds seeded and peeled pie pumpkin, diced
¾ c. white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, cloves cut into quarters
4 ½ c. fish stock (alternative: chicken or vegetable stock)
½ c. Goat Cheese or as desired
1 ¼ c. cream (optional)
Fresh basil
¼ c. olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 halibut filet (any fish will do) (optional)
Directions
Roast pumpkin, onions, and garlic in a roasting pan with a bit of olive oil. In a soup pot, put the roasted items and turn to medium heat. Add 3/4 of the stock and simmer for up to 45 minutes, or until fully cooked. Put in a food processor and blend until smooth. Blend in small amounts of the goat cheese along with the cream if desired. Adjust thickness with the leftover stock. Add more cream if desired and finish seasoning with herbs, salt, and pepper. If you add a filet of your chosen fish, pan-fry it first with oil, salt and pepper, then add it to the soup.
Directions
Roast pumpkin, onions, and garlic in a roasting pan with a bit of olive oil. In a soup pot, put the roasted items and turn to medium heat. Add 3/4 of the stock and simmer for up to 45 minutes, or until fully cooked. Put in a food processor and blend until smooth. Blend in small amounts of the goat cheese along with the cream if desired. Adjust thickness with the leftover stock. Add more cream if desired and finish seasoning with herbs, salt, and pepper. If you add a filet of your chosen fish, pan-fry it first with oil, salt and pepper, then add it to the soup.
Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Soup
I've always enjoyed soups. In my life, I've tasted a colorful variety of soups, from lobster bisque to a hearty beef and barley stew.
ReplyDeleteNever in my life have I had a soup quite as good as this, I can't stress how necessary every ingredient is to making an amazing soup. I would also recommend getting a cup of heavy cream and giving it a quick whisk, it adds a thickness to the soup that really allows the taste to linger. Without the cream and without the cheese, this soup is missing its very essence.
With, however, you get a soup that has earned its place amongst my "Top 3" favorite soups of all time.
Thank you so much for this recipe~! x3
Me and my girlfriend have looked for this recipe for a long time, and are happy that you took yourself time to create this, thank you : )
ReplyDeleteHowever, since we are from Sweden, we are not to familiar with english/american measurements, and one in particular had us confused:
"¾ c. ounces white onion, chopped"
We would like to know what "c. ounces" means, as we cannot find a good explanation for it anywhere. Thanks in advance!
//Dedicated Zelda fans ^__^
uuh, i dont know.
Deletethe c. means cup. so that would make it 3/4 cups of chopped onion
DeleteI believe it means "Cubic Centimeters," or a three-dimensional (height+width+length) measurement.
ReplyDeleteI was really happy to find this because I was thinking of making this for my boyfriend and myself for our anniversary ^-^
ReplyDeleteBut I have a question: the Reekfish looks a lot like salmon and salmon is pretty darn nutritious. Could I use that fish instead?
I did and it came out pretty good.
Deletei bet smoked salmon would be deicious in this. the smokey flavor would accent the cheese and pumpkin well! the reekfish also vaguely resenbles a rainbow trout i think
Deleteit wasn't c. ounces, it was just "c." which is just an abbreviation for cups. so 3/4 of a cup of white onions, chopped.
ReplyDeleteAwsome! i was thinking of creating a similar recipe myself, and then i found this :P sweet! i'm a big fan of Zelda :)
ReplyDeleteThis soup is no joke - very delicious. Perfect for filling up your hearts on a cold winter day.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, 1/2 C is a bit heavy on the goat cheese. I used Turbot in lieu of Halibut and added mushrooms. Great served with toasted pumpernickel bread.
Does anyone have a picture of what this turns out like? (Besides the Zelda version ;) )
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteNow the only thing left is Elixer Soup from the Wind Waker also I have tried this and its good.
ReplyDeleteI agree, too much Goat Cheese for my liking. I would add another creamy white cheese just to keep the tanginess down. I would also use a yellow onion instead of a white onion as they are sweeter and complement the Pumpkin more. I would suggest adding a pinch of nutmeg to the soup as well.
ReplyDeleteIf one were to use Salmon which I believe would complement this very well if done properly. I would say to use smoked salmon fillets as you will not need a whole lot, the smoke flavor will add warmth, and you will not end up with a very "fishy" flavor. Add it near the end because smoked fish is already cooked. Though white fish is a good option to ensure that you can taste everything and the fish's flavor does not overwhelm.
I would suggest pickerel over halibut as it is very delicate in texture and flavor insuring that it will absorb the flavor of the soup instead of over powering it. However, soup is very personal and everyone likes it differently. I personally would add carrots and celery to the base along with potatoes and squash. All cubed very small to ensure it's still a soup but hearty like a stew "stoup" lol. That's how I imagined this while looking at it in the pot, it had to have body.
Gosh, thanks SO much for posting this recipe! When I played Twilight Princess, I would ALWAYS make sure to have at least one bottle of Superb Soup at ALL times. XD It always looked so tasty! Alas, now I can make my own. Too bad winter's over- but hey, I can make soup during the summer if I want to, right? XD
ReplyDeleteThis soup, at first, I thought was a strange recipe, and since I'm a big fan of Zelda I wanted to try it out, so I did and I have to say it turned out great!
ReplyDeleteHow long/hot do you roast the ingredients first?
ReplyDeleteAnon above, it really varies. Until they are soft and have picked up a nice browning. It can take anywhere between 30 and 75 minutes, depending on how big your pumpkin is.
ReplyDeleteI've talked to my grandmother about trying this recipe, and she says that Feta cheese is a type of goat cheese, so I was wondering if I could use Feta for the goat cheese portion of this recipe?
ReplyDeleteI'm also a bit confused as to some of the measurements in this recipe. For example, where it says "4 1/2 c. fish stock" does that mean 4 1/2 cups, or is it some other measurement? I'm pretty sure it is cups, but I just want be certain.
Also, thanks for posting this recipe, as I've always loved soups, and this soup has always intrigued me since I first encountered it in Twilight Princess. So thank you. I can't wait to try it!
not sure if feta will melt down the way goat cheese will. feta is a firmer crumbly cheese if im not mistaket while the goat cheese they suggest is something akin to cream cheese in texture. very soft
DeleteIt sounds delicious, especially from the comments, but before I try making it, I need to know: about how many does this serve with the soup being served in portions appropriate for a main dish?
ReplyDeleteStoked to try this recipe out for myself! However, if no fresh pumpkins are available, would canned pumpkin a suitable replacement? And perhaps adding diced butternut squash to keep the texture?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!!! I have searched across valleys and mountains for this recipe! Legend of zelda how i love you so :D
ReplyDelete@ccf9b0be-17e3-11e1-a7c3-000bcdcb471e
ReplyDeleteI don't know how the soup tastes with feta cheese, but 4 1/2 c. is 4 1/2 cups.
@Char
I have tried the soup with canned pumpkin, and it still comes out delicious. That's a good idea with the squash, though.
How much canned pumpkin did you use? I'm trying to figure out how much 2 lbs would be after cooked an such. Thanks!!
Deletethe canns of pumpkin should tell you how many ounces are in the can. i would think it would be the same, 2 lbs
DeleteI've done a recipe similar to this (I was just seeing if anyone else had) a couple times now and it's always turned out great. However, we thought that the Ordonian pumpkin didn't look like a typical pumpkin and it looks more like a turban squash, so we use that. This was difficult because pumpkin is my favorite food, but we wanted to be true to the vision we had of replicating the soup the best we could. We also think curry would be likely to be found in the LOZ realm so we use that and it greatly complements the squash!
ReplyDeleteRegardless, we'll definitely try it your way some time. Thanks for being nerdy/geeky like us!
Great recipe! A couple of questions:
ReplyDeleteHow many servings does this make?
How long do you roast the pumpkin and at how many degrees?
I just made this for the first time and it turned out great! Thank you so much for posting! Twilight Princess might be my favorite game ever. I couldn't find any baking pumpkins, so I had to use the canned stuff, so that diminished the pumpkin taste. Maybe I should have gone with fresh butternut squash. And I used salmon for the reekfish and it tasted wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMy pot of soup is simmering as we speak. I couldn't find any fish stock anywhere, so I used a tip I'd read elsewhere about mixing vegetable stock and clam juice. My go-to homemade vegetable stock recipe uses 3 stalks of celery, 2 small onions, 2 medium carrots, and a potato, all roasted until fragrant and then boiled for an hour or two with six cups of water, 10 black peppercorns, 2 sprigs of thyme, a clove of garlic, and a handful of parsley. I ended up using three cups of the veggie stock and one eight-ounce bottle of clam juice, with no additional salt due to the sodium in the clam juice. Instead of fresh pumpkin I used 2/3 fresh butternut squash and 1/3 canned pumpkin, roasted together with the chopped onion and garlic. I seared a salmon fillet for four minutes on each side and added it into the pot, along with the oil it was cooked in. When it comes time to puree I'll remove the salmon and shred it separately. The only thing I'm not really sure of is how much fresh basil to use. I'm starting with a cup of leaves and going no more than three.
ReplyDeleteI just made this today with fresh pumpkin. It's delicious. I used a lot less goat cheese (it's very strong) and I pan fried a salmon fillet and put it in at the last minute, whilst it was still pink in the middle. It's an interesting mix of flavours but I'm definitely enjoying it. I will probably do this again.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Snowpeak ruins has so far been my favourite temple in Twilight Princess.
I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to try this soup, or if I would like it?
ReplyDeleteJust wondering how this soup tastes? I see all the good reviews, but I've never tried goat cheese before. Also, can you make it without onions? I DO NOT like onions.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to go on a nerdy food kick (pokeball cookies, sea-salt ice cream, Kirby macarons) and I'd love to try this recipe from one of my favorite games :)