Pumpkin and red pepper soup
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 red peppers, deseeded, quartered
- 30g butter
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 6 shallots, diced peeled
- 750g pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- leaves of one sprig of thyme
- 1.2 litres good vegetable stock
- sea salt and black pepper
- For the candied shallots:
- 250g unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- 8 (250g) shallots, peeled and sliced
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp honey
- To serve:
- 2 tsp chives, finely chopped
- 30g pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 120ml low fat crème fraîche
Method
- For the soup: Place the peppers skin side up on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 mins (200C/Gas 6).
- Remove from the oven, place in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.
- Peel off the skins and reserve the flesh. Melt the butter with oil in a large, heavy based saucepan.
- Add the shallots, pumpkin and red chilli, season with sea salt and black pepper and sweat the vegetables for 5-10 mins.
- Add the garlic and thyme.
- Cook for 1 min.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 mins.
- Add the red peppers, cook for a further 5 mins.
- For the candied shallots: Melt the butter, add the cumin seeds and shallots and fry until soft.
- Add cumin and paprika and cook for 1 min, stirring continuously.
- Fry until caramelised.
- Remove from heat, season with sea salt and stir in honey.
- To finish: Blend the soup in a food processor or with hand blender.
- Season.
- Return to pan, reheat and ladle into bowls.
- Spoon low fat crème fraîche in each.
- Sprinkle chives, toasted pumpkin seeds and candied shallots.
