“A warming treat of a bowl of soup with good bread is perfect to come into from the garden or a long dog walk. I like a crown prince variety, but butternut squash will do just as well. There are many different types, so have fun playing around with different ones and a different garnish — perhaps chopped herbs and some cream or toasted nuts.”
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed, peeled and chopped
500g flesh of a good firm pumpkin or a butternut squash, roughly chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 bouquet garni
2 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil
50g unsalted butter
1 large tablespoon of toasted pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon of toasted hazelnuts, smashed
A few chives, finely chopped
4 teaspoons crème fraîche
2 tablespoons of cream for blending, optional
Good salt and pepper
Good oil for a drizzle
METHOD
Heat oven to 210C / Gas Mark 7
Heat one tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic with a little salt for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter and lower the heat to moderate and continue to cook the onions for 15 minutes or so until they are caramelised but not burnt.
As the onions cook, place the chopped pumpkin onto a baking tray and drizzle with the remaining rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until soft and browned. Remove from the oven and add to the onions in the pan. Then add the cinnamon stick, bouquet garni and season with salt and pepper. Pour in just enough boiling water from the kettle to cover the contents and turn the heat back on.
Cook the soup on a moderate heat - turning down if too bubbly - for 15 minutes or so until all the flavours are combined. Remove the cinnamon stick and bouquet garni and blitz in a food jug blender or with a hand blender until silky. Sometimes I add a little cream to the soup as I’m blending, but it’s up to you. Then I would recommend passing the soup through a fine sieve to remove any fibres from the pumpkin.
Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top with toasted hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, a dollop of crème fraîche, a sprinkling of chives and a drizzle of oil.