Dame Cathy Sloman
This luscious soup makes the most of the traditional squashes and pumpkins that are around now – it really doesn’t matter which variety you choose, whichever takes your fancy is perfect. The saffron isn’t compulsory but it really adds to the richness and vibrant colour of the soup.
These cheese and thyme scones are a perfect accompaniment to the soup – packed with flavour, quick to assemble and bake. In fact, if you work quickly, which you should when baking scones, they’ll be on the table just as the soup is ready to serve!
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 celery stalks
25g butter
500g pumpkin or squash
2 garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
100ml white wine
500g vegetable stock (homemade or bought)
Small pinch saffron
30g pumpkin seeds
125g double cream
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Flat leaf parsley to garnish
Method
Peel and roughly chop the onion.
Trim and roughly chop the celery.
Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and fibrous flesh, peel and cut into 2cm pieces.
Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
Pick the leaves from the thyme sprigs.
Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium to high heat and sweat the onion and celery, covered, for 10 minutes or until softened.
Add the pumpkin and fry for a few more minutes then add the garlic, thyme, saffron and wine, bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.
Add the stock, bring back to the to a boil then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
While the soup is cooking, toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan.
Remove the soup from the heat and blitz in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Put the soup in a clean saucepan, add most of the cream, reserving a little to garnish the soup.
Season to taste and garnish with a drizzle of cream, a little flat leaf parsley and some toasted pumpkin seeds.