Pumpkin Soup


With Autumns arrival and Halloween fast approaching, what better way to warm up after a long walk than with a hearty bowl of pumpkin soup. 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 25g/1oz unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium pumpkin (prepared weight about 850g/1lb 14oz) deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium-sized potato roughly chopped
  • 1 litre/1¾ pint vegetable or chicken stock, a little extra may be needed
  • 100ml/3½fl oz double cream 
  • 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method: 

  1. Put the onion, carrots, garlic bay leaf, butter and half the olive oil into a large pan. Cook over a low–medium heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but not coloured.

  2. Add the squash and potato, mix to combine and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, half cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook for about 40 minutes until the squash is really tender when tested with the point of a knife.

  3. Pick out the bay leaf and blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender.

  4. Add the cream and a little more stock if the soup is on the thick side, taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as required.

  5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the pumpkin seeds and fry quickly until the seeds start to pop. Remove from the pan.

  6. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a swirl of cream and the toasted pumpkin seeds.

 

Recipe courtesy of BBC Food