Pumpkin Soup with Caramelized Chestnuts
A silky pumpkin soup with chestnuts, ginger and cream, finished with yogurt and topped with caramelized chestnuts and toasted nuts.
Ingredients
| 4 tbsp | 60 ml | butter |
| 1 | medium onion | |
| 100 g | chestnuts, peeled and cooked (about 10 chestnuts) | |
| 3 | garlic cloves | |
| 1 piece | piece of ginger (1 inch / 3 cm) | |
| 4 cups | 960 ml | pumpkin puree or roasted pumpkin chunks (about 2 lbs / 1 kg) |
| 3 cups | 720 ml | vegetable / chicken broth |
| 80 ml | heavy cream (30-36%) | |
| — | salt and pepper to taste | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | lemon juice or to taste |
| 4 tsp | 20 ml | granulated sugar (for caramelized chestnuts) |
| 4 tsp | 20 ml | butter (for caramelized chestnuts) |
| 100 g | chestnuts, peeled and cooked, about 10 (for caramelized chestnuts) | |
| — | plain yogurt (to serve) | |
| — | pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted on a dry pan (to serve) |
Instructions
Caramelized chestnuts (optional): Add the sugar into a small pot, heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves, starts to simmer, and then turns golden brown (be careful not to burn it or it will become bitter). Add the butter, cook until melted, then add the crushed chestnuts, cook for about 2 minutes, transfer onto a plate, set aside. Soup: Dice the onion, chop the garlic and ginger finely. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat, add the onion, cook for about 7 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Add the chopped garlic, ginger, and chestnuts, cook for a few minutes, stirring from time to time, until the butter turns golden brown. Add the pumpkin puree or roasted pumpkin chunks and broth, cook over low heat, covered, for about 10-15 minutes. Add the cream and take the pot off the heat. Puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Serve with plain yogurt (can't be omitted! the soup is naturally sweet, yogurt needs to balance this sweetness), top with caramelized chestnuts and chopped and lightly toasted nuts. Enjoy! Notes: 1 cup = 240 ml. How to make pumpkin puree / roast pumpkin: cut the pumpkin into equal-sized big chunks (don't peel the skin), arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper, bake at 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6 for 30-60 minutes, until tender (the baking time will depend on the size of the chunks). Use a spoon to scoop out the pulp, puree until smooth (discard the skin). Unused puree can be frozen and kept for several months in the freezer. This soup can be frozen without the cream. If you freeze the soup with cream it will curdle but you can blend it again in a blender and the soup will be as new. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Store the soup in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It reheats very well. Calories count = 1 serving = 1/4 recipe.