Name: Roast pumpkin and carrot soup
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1/2 medium pumpkin or a whole small butternut pumpkin; 2 large_piece carrots; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 6 clove garlic cloves unpeeled; 1 large_piece onion; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves; 1 teaspoon curry powder; 1 litre chicken stock; 250 millilitre single cream; 1 tablespoon creme fraiche (optional per person); 2 piece cooked bacon rashers (optional per person); 1 tablespoon microgreens (optional per person); 1 tablespoon thyme leaves (optional per person); 3 piece huntley & palmers mixed herbs flatbreads (optional per person)

Roast pumpkin and carrot soup

The gentle spices in this wholesome autumn soup warm up many a hungry worker and dinner guest alike. Fragrant but not too overwhelming, the pumpkin shines through so even my little Mr Fussy will eat it. Crumble Huntley & Palmers Mixed Herbs Flatbreads over the top and serve extra on the side for dipping.

Serves 8

Cook

50M

Ingredients

1/2 medium pumpkin or a whole small butternut pumpkin

2 large_piece carrots

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 clove garlic cloves unpeeled

1 large_piece onion

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 litre chicken stock

250 millilitre single cream

1 tablespoon creme fraiche (optional per person)

2 piece cooked bacon rashers (optional per person)

1 tablespoon microgreens (optional per person)

1 tablespoon thyme leaves (optional per person)

3 piece huntley & palmers mixed herbs flatbreads (optional per person)

Method

1.Pre-heat oven to 190°C fanbake. Chop the pumpkin and carrot into similar sized pieces skin on, place on a lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season and toss over the whole unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast for 30–40 minutes until soft when poked with a sharp knife. When cool enough to handle, pull off pumpkin skin and roughly chop flesh. Mash carrot with a fork and squeeze out sticky centres from garlic cloves, discarding garlic skins. Set garlic, pumpkin and carrot flesh aside.

2.Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and add the onion and sweat a few minutes until translucent. Add the cumin, thyme and curry powder and stir until fragrant – 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, carrot and garlic flesh. Stir to combine then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and gently simmer for 5 minutes.

3.Season to taste then purée if you prefer – if I’m after a rustic dish and the pumpkin is good I just squash it a bit with a potato masher to keep it chunky.

4.Stir in 300ml of fresh cream, stir, simmer one minute and season again. Best served hot with a blob of crème fraîche, a scattering of microgreens or herbs, and Huntley & Palmers Mixed Herbs Flatbreads broken and scattered on the top.

Women's Weekly Food