SLOW ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 butternut pumpkin, halved lengthways, seeds removed
melted coconut oil, for roasting and drizzling
1 head of garlic, unpeeled
1 onion, unpeeled
1 whole sweet potato, washed and dried
2 celery sticks, diced
2 carrots, diced
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1.5 litres vegetable stock
½ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread and butter, to serve
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a large roasting tin with baking paper.
Rub the pumpkin with coconut oil and pop it cut side down, on the prepared tin. Drizzle a little oil over the garlic then lift up one pumpkin half, place the garlic in the hollow and replace the pumpkin, cut-side down, on the tray. This will protect the garlic so it can gently roast without burning, making the flesh mild and sweet.
Add the onion and sweet potato to the roasting tin and rub with coconut oil. Now pop it all in the oven to slow roast for about 1 hour. (This is what will take your pumpkin soup from meh to OMG!)
Heat a splash of oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, curry powder and paprika and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until softened.
Using a spoon, scoop out the pumpkin flesh and add it to the carrot and celery. Peel the skin off the onion. Roughly chop the onion and sweet potato and add them to the pan. Finally, squeeze the flesh from the garlic into the pan.
Pour in 1 litre of the stock, give it a good stir and let it come to a simmer. At this stage, you can add the rest of the stock, but you may also like to wait to see how thick the soup is after blending. Sprinkle in the nutmeg.
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until everything is lovely and soft, then blend with a stick blender until smooth (Make sure you keep the blender submerged in the soup so it doesn’t splatter everywhere).
Transfer to serving bowls, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little melted coconut oil. Serve with crusty bread and butter.
