Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Soup

Graham Townsley 13.8.31 – 6.2.15

I can’t think about this recipe without remembering my dear dad.  A man who was passionate about food and eating and who loved nothing more than poring over recipe books deciding what to cook for the family.  Pumpkin soup was one of his staple meals and he could often be found standing at the stove on the weekend, stirring a large pot of steaming pumpkin soup while listening to the radio. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of him and miss him.

1. Peel, halve and slice the onions.
   
2. Remove the rind of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds* and pith from the centre.  Then chop the pumpkin roughly into pieces about 2 or 2.5 inches square (matchbox size).  This is the most labour intensive part of the recipe.
   
3. Put the pumpkin pieces, sliced onion and 6 cups of salted water into a large pot.  Bring it to the boil and allow it to boil for 20 minutes.  The pumpkin should be soft at the end of this time.
   
4. Drain the water off into a bowl and keep it to thin the soup later if you need to do so.
   
5. You now need to blend the pumpkin and onion.  You can do this in a blender and transfer the mixture back to the pot but I find it easiest (and less messy) to use a handheld blitzer and do it in the pot.
   
6. Add the milk and cream to the blended pumpkin, together with some salt and pepper and some finely grated fresh nutmeg to taste.  If you prefer a thinner soup, add some of the reserved water.  Cook this gently for 10 minutes at a low heat.
   

You can add croutons, a dash of cream, parsley, more sprinkles of nutmeg or just pepper as it goes to the table.

(If you want a more unctuous, richer soup, you can mix a few spoons of the soup with 2 beaten eggs and then add this mixture gradually to the soup, stirring occasionally until thickened.  You must make sure this is at a low heat though because otherwise you can end up with a nasty scrambled egg texture.  You can also stir in a knob of butter just before serving.  I have to confess though that most of the time I opt for the eggless version.)

*I reserve the seeds, mix them with a little olive oil and roast them in the oven at 180 or 200 degrees for about 15 minutes until they are crispy.  Then sprinkle a little sea salt over.  They are delicious on their own with a drink or on top of the soup itself, in risottos or in a salad.  I presume you could store them in an airtight container but they never last long enough in my hands to warrant storage.