xo amys

This picture is lacking the bacon but uses parmesan, parsley and pumpkin seeds

This creamy and velvety pumpkin soup is a fall must. This recipe originates from Gordon Ramsay with a couple of personal changes. The pumpkin has a sweet nutty flavour and the smooth texture is luxurious in the mouth. This also makes a wonderful puree that can be a great side dish with scallops or a shank of lamb. Mr. Ramsay adds wild mushrooms for garnishing but I wanted a salty crunch instead, so I crumbled crispy bacon on top to create that mixture of sweet and salty.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Purée

• 1.5kg Pumpkin
• Fresh Black Pepper & Salt
• 1 full Garlic
• Olive Oil

Ingredients for Soup

• Olive Oil
• 1 Shallot
• 50g Parmesan
• Salt/ Pepper
• Fresh Grated Nutmeg
• 2 dl Double Cream
• 30g Butter
• 2 dl Chicken Stock

Garnish

• Crispy Bacon
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
• Ground Black Pepper
• Pumpkin seeds (optional)
• Spoonful of Sour Cream

Directions

Begin by making the purée: Preheat the oven 170 C. Slice the pumpkin into half and then into half again, so 4 pieces in total. Score them and drizzle with olive oil, rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Rub the pumpkin with the cut garlic (see photo above) halves. Place into oven for about an hour until a knife easily pierces through.

Once the pumpkin is cooked take it out of the oven. Remove the rosemary and reserve the garlic for later. While still warm, scoop the flesh of the pumpkin and pureé in a food processor.

Begin making the soup: In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Now add 3 garlic cloves from the roasted garlic and grate fresh nutmeg. Season with a bit of black pepper and salt and sauté for a couple of minutes more.

Stir in the pumpkin purée and add the parmesan. Then add the chicken stock and bring to boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer about 10 minutes.  Add cream and heat for a couple of minutes.

Now it is time to make the soup smooth. In batches place the soup into a blender and blitz until a velvety texture. I did not have a blender so I did this using a sieve and a spoon repeating the process a couple of times. Once this process is done, place the mixture into a new clean pan and reheat. Add in the butter and check for flavour.

To garnish: Gordon’s  recipe uses fried chanterelle and parmesan for garnishing. A great choice for sure, but I was craving for something salty to go with the sweetness of the pumpkin. So fry some bacon until crispy brown and leave on kitchen paper to cool and to remove excess fat. Crumble these on top of the soup with grated parmesan. Grind black pepper and sprinkle some flat leaf parsley.

Here you can see the crispy bacon