Pumpkin soup

Last year I blogged about pumpkins and I normally hate duplication, but this recipe was so good I thought that I should share. It came from a book I have, up until now, not really rated - The Able and Cole Cookbook.






The irony is that I was inspired to cook this after attending a fabulous Pumpkin Day with Riverford Farms, from whom we now get our rather better veg box.







Preheat the oven to 220'c, 425'F.

Toss 3 peeled and diced apples and 1 pealed and diced small pumpkin in olive oil and drizzle with a little honey then bake for about half an hour, turning every 10 mins. Take out from the oven when the pumpkin is tender.

Meanwhile you can toast the pumpkin seeds, but I always find this a terrible faff and is ultimately very unrewarding.

Scoop out the roasting tin, making sure not to leave behind any of the lovely caramelised bits or juices. Add a mug or two of vegetable or chicken stock and simmer for about 15 mins. Then blitz until smooth, adding liquid until it is the consistency you like - I like mine THICK!

Season with salt and pepper. The recipe calls for chilli flakes to be added during the roasting, but as the Dino boy can't cope with spice so I garnish it with mild chilli at this stage.

So here are my special ingredient hacks. As recommended by Yotam Ottolenghi, Aleppo chilli, a lovely fragrant but very mild chilli and Chinese clear broth as discovered when shopping with my lovely Chinese friend in San Fransisco. I pick up the clear broth when I pop to the Oriental supermarket, they really pack a punch - I had used most of the carton when trialling a Mushroom and egg custard for a new Chinese book (click on this link to get your own trial recipe http://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/allunderheaven ) Normally I use Marigold Swiss Brouillon.