Buy a big pumpkin and cut out the flesh, you'll need about 2kg, or buy them in halves. Make a scary halloween face with the emptied pumpkin, the kids will love it and so do I.
Ingredients:
- about 2 kg. of pumpkin flesh (you can buy halves at your local supermarket)
- 3 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bouquet garni (2 bay leaves and a couple of sprigs of thyme, tied together)
- 2 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 3 cardamon pods( only the seeds not the outer shell)
- About 1,5lt. of chicken stock
- Worcestershire sauce
- about 100gr. of goat cheese, Sainte Maure or similar
- 2 big potatoes, diced
- 2-3 slices of bread(some old slices), cut in small cubes
- garlic powder
- smoked/cured meat, I used speck but anything else will do....
Cut the pumpkin flesh(peeled of course) in cubes. Chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic finely.
Heat up some olive oil with a knob of butter and fruit the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in it. Add the cubed pumpkin and fruit for a couple of minutes.
Add the chicken stock, make sure all of the pumkin is submerged in the stock. Throw in a big pinch of salt and black pepper ,a couple of grates of nutmeg and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
Then add the diced potatoes and let them cook for about 10 minutes.
Remove the peel/skin of the goat cheese and dice the cheese. Add it to the hot soup,take out the bouquet garni and mix with your stick mixer till you get a silky soup. Check the seasoning and add some salt and/or pepper if needed.
Add some drops of worcestershire sauce and done!
Croutons:
Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan and add a big pinch of garlic powder to the hot oil. Then,on high heat, fry the cubes of bread untill golden brown and crispy.
Slice up the smoked/cured meat.
Pour the hot soup in a bowl, add the croutons and sliced meat.
Now you'll have a sweet,silky pumpkin soup with a nice goat cheese taste that contradicts nicely with the sweetness.
Enjoy,
Kev
