Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Cheesy Garlic Croutons 🎃

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Cheesy Garlic Croutons 🎃🍽

Ingredients:

1 x whole pumpkin
Garlic oil
Salt & pepper
Fresh thyme
Fresh oregano
Paprika
3 x sweet white onions
5 x cloves of garlic
2 x knobs of salted butter
1 x litre of good quality chicken stock
150ml double cream
Few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Good quality crusty bread
1 x handful of cheddar cheese

Instructions:

- With a sharp knife, carefully slice the pumpkin into two large pieces. Scoop out the seeds.

- Slice the pumpkin into large wedges. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and season with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, paprika and a good drizzle of garlic oil. Give everything a good mix and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175 degrees Celsius for 45 - 50 minutes.

- Meanwhile, place a large pan on a medium heat and add a good lug of garlic oil and a knob of butter.

- Thinly slice 3 x sweet white onions and add to the pan with a good pinch of salt and pepper, and some more of the thyme & oregano. Cook these gently for 10-15 minutes until nicely softened and then add 2-3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

- Take the pumpkin out of the oven. I left the skin on because when you roast pumpkin the skin goes nice and soft and has so much flavour! Make sure it's cooked by putting a fork through a piece. The flesh and skin should be soft and break up easily. Add all of the pumpkin to the pan. Break up slightly and add 1 litre of good quality chicken stock. Put this back on the hob and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

- Using a hand blender (or liquidiser), blend until the soup is a nice smooth consistency. Add 100ml double cream, mix and leave on the hob to keep warm.

- To make the croutons, grate garlic cloves over some softened butter and add some finely chopped parsley. Add this to some sliced bread and cook in the oven for a few minutes. Add some grated cheese and melt this in the oven.

Delicious!