Phil Vickery's ultimate allotment pumpkin soup
Autumn is in full swing at the This Morning allotment, so we thought it was the perfect time to harvest our gorgeous Crown Prince pumpkins! Phil has been looking after these beauties for the last few months, and is now reaping the rewards of his hard work, treating us to the ultimate pumpkin soup.
Ingredients
50g butter2 onions, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, crushed1 large potato500-600g well roasted Crown Prince pumpkin (you can use any pumpkin or butternut squash)1 tsp cumin seeds1 litre water, roughly2 x 10g vegetable stock cubesMilk, optional
For the croutons:2 thick slices bread2 tbsp vegetable oil15g butter1 garlic clove, skin on, cut in halfSaltPepper
To garnish: 100g finely grated Gruyere cheeseSage leaves, fried Pumpkin seeds
Method
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook until golden brown. Add the garlic, cook for a couple of minutes to soften, but do not allow to brown. Add the potato and pumpkin flesh.
2. Heat a small frying pan, add the cumin seeds and cook over a low heat until they release their wonderful aroma but be careful they do not burn.
3. Add straight away to the onions and potatoes then pour in the water and add the stock cubes - it should come above the vegetables by about 3cm so you might need to add a bit more.
4. Bring to the boil, season then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft and just breaking up.
5. For the croutons, trim the crusts off the bread then cut into cubes.
6. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan then add the bread cubes and halves of garlic. Cook until nicely browned then tip into a colander and remove the garlic. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and keep warm.
7. Tip the soup into a liquidiser and blitz until smooth, adding a little milk if it is too thick.
8. Just before serving stir in the cheese then scatter the croutons on top.
9. Serve piping hot.