Chilli Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 medium white onions, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 700 g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
• 6 fresh sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped (or 2 if you like a little extra heat), or pinch chilli flakes
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 400 g tin butter beans, drained
• 4 litres vegetable stock
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• pumpkin seeds, to garnish
• drizzle of chilli oil or extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery and sauté for a couple of minutes. Next, add the chopped pumpkin, sage, chilli, sweet potato and butter beans and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable stock, stir and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 25–30 minutes, or until all the vegetables and beans have softened and cooked through.

Allow to cool slightly before whizzing with a stick blender in the pan. (If blending in a food processor, let the soup cool slightly, then ladle in small amounts and blend a bit at a time.)

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a small, dry, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heating them until they go crisp – about 3 minutes. Don’t let them burn. Take off the heat. Sprinkle these pumpkin seeds on top of the soup (about 6 each portion) and drizzle with a little oil and thinly sliced red chilli, if desired.