Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 kg of pumpkin (peeled, seeds removed and chopped)
2 to 3 large onions (roughly chopped)
2 large potatoes (peeled and chopped) (You can use apple instead of potato.)
3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
3 sticks of celery (finely chopped and thick strings discarded)
3 ½ pints of vegetable stock
2 vegetable stock cubes
75g of butter
1 to 1½ pints of milk
500ml single cream
5 tbl spoons of chopped chives to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional seasoning as you like… garlic, chilli, curry powder, bay leaves, nutmeg… (Not all though!!)

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Sauté the carrots, onion and celery. Next add the pumpkin and potatoes once the other vegetables are softened.

Cook gently for 5 to 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Don’t allow the vegetables to brown.

Pour in the stock and add the stock cubes and stir.

Simmer gently until the vegetables are just cooked (about 30 minutes) and then purée with an electric blender. You will need a large bowl or another large pan as you won’t be able to do this in one go!

Return the puréed vegetables to the saucepan and season to taste.

Add other seasoning such as curry powder, a few bay leaves, or even some chilli powder. Nutmeg also works well, up to you!

Add the milk.

Finally just before serving, add the cream and re heat very gently. Thin with more stock if necessary.

Sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve. If you can, retain the pumpkins and pour the soup back into them, with the lids on.

This recipe also works well with butternut squash or sweet potato.