The summer unofficially ended on Labor Day but for some of us it is still here. September air has a different quality and we know that we are moving towards autumn. Still, we try to hold on to the comforting warmth of the sun a little longer. Naturally, our late summer recipes reflect the coming change of season.
To make this soup I got Hokkaido pumpkin and what might have been the very last apricots of the summer 2025. I also used fresh garlic and powdered piment d'Espelette (Espelette pepper) that is typical for the cuisine of the Baque Country (Pays Basque). The soup turned out beautifully. It was deliciously fruity and spicy but not unpleasantly hot. A perfect dish on a warm late summer day.
I took a shortcut while making this soup. Instead of making nut milk I used soaked nuts and blended them with all the other ingredients. If your blender is not powerful enough you may want to make the nut milk first and use it in this recipe instead of water.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw cashew nuts soaked in water overnight
- 1/2 Hokkaido pumpkin, chopped - 3 1/2 cups
- 8-10 ripe apricots, pitted and chopped - about 1 cup
- 1 medium largre purple onion, chopped - about 1/3 cup
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
- 3 cups filtered water or 3 cups of nut milk, if you are making some (see my notes above)
- 1/3 cup virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp powdered piment d'Espelette (use hot paprica or cayenne pepper as a substitute)
- generous amount of sea salt to balance the flavors
- apricot wedges and slivers of pumpkin for garnish
Method:
- Make the nut milk using soaked nuts and water. You should aim to have at least 3 cups of milk. Once the milk is ready, add all the solid ingredients and blend until smooth. As I mentioned above, if you are using a high speed blender you can skip this step and blend the nuts and all the other solid ingredients together with 3 cups of water. This method saves time and does not compromise the texture.
- Once everything is blended add piment d'Espelette or a similar spice, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Blend again for a few seconds. Adjust the taste as needed.
- Pour the soup into individual bowls. Garnish with slivers of pumpkin and apricot wedges and serve right away. Enjoy it in good company!
Tip: If fresh apricots are no longer available, use frozen or dried ones. When using the dried apricots you can also add some tumeric or even saffron to achieve a completely different flavor. On a cold day you can blend the soup a little longer to serve it warm. To keep it raw however, make sure that the temperature does not go beyond 105°F (around 40°C).
In radiant health, passinately raw - Domnique
Dominique Allmon©2025