PUMPKIN SOUP

References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was nasalized by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion." American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin." Pumpkins and squash are believed to have originated in the ancient Americas. The early Native American farmers roasted pumpkin strips over campfires and used them as a food source, long before the arrival of European explorers. It is said that Columbus carried pumpkin seeds back with him to Europe. There they were used to feed pigs, but not as a human food source.

Serves 4
50 minutes
338 kcal per serving

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin, around 1 kg
• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• 3 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 150 ml double cream
• 1/2-1 lemon, juice only

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
2. Peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
3. Dice the flesh into large cubes and put in a roasting tray.
4. Scatter around the onion and garlic and tuck in the rosemary sprigs.
5. Drizzle over the honey and olive oil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and golden.
6. Baste half way through to stop the honey catching on the bottom of the tray.
7. Meanwhile bring the stock to the boil.
8. When the vegetables are cooked, put in a blender with the hot liquid and white wine.
9. Blend until smooth before adding the cream and lemon juice, then return to the pan.
10. Ladle the soup into bowls, topped with a pinch of cracked black pepper.