Pumpkin and bacon soup

Make this warming and easy pumpkin and bacon soup by Tom Kerridge.

Published: October 28, 2019 at 10:32 am

Ingredients

1tbsp Vegetable oil
50g Butter
1 White onion, finely chopped
150g Maple-cured bacon, cut into small pieces
Half a Crown Prince pumpkin
500g Squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into medium chunks (you need about 500g pumpkin flesh)
1l Chicken stock (vegetarians can use vegetable stock)
100ml Double cream
3tbsp Pumpkin seeds
Maple syrup for drizzling

Step 1
In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil with 25g butter. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook on a low heat for 10 mins or until soft.
Step 2
Add 60g bacon and cook for a further 5 mins until the bacon releases its fat. Then increase the heat to medium, add the pumpkin and stock and season. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for about 40 mins until the pumpkin is soft.
Step 3
Pour in the cream, bring to the boil again and remove from the heat. Set aside some of the liquid, then blend the remaining pumpkin until smooth and velvety, adding liquid back into the pan bit by bit as you go (add more liquid if you like it thinner). Strain through a fine sieve, check the seasoning and set aside.
Step 4
Melt the remaining butter in a pan over a high heat and fry the rest of the bacon with black pepper for 5 mins. Divide the bacon between four bowls, reheat the soup and pour over. To serve, sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and drizzle with maple syrup.

Polly Webster