Smokey Pumpkin Soup
With the clocks going back and temperatures plummeting there’s no better time to enjoy a good hearty soup. We’ve been inundated with pumpkins on the farm this year so we’ve opted for this squash as our base. Pumpkins can be rather bland on their own so we’ve paired with our smoked Droitwich Salt and new Droitwich Salt-Smoked Bacon, to give our Autumn soup a bit more punch. We hope you enjoy this October treat as much as we do!
Ingredients
1 Cooking Pumpkin
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Smoked Droitwich Salt
1 tsp Spanish Smoked Paprika
1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
1 Pinch of Ground Allspice
1 Onion, Diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
3 Rashers of Droitwich Salt-smoked Bacon
1/2 Cup Apple Cider
5 Cups Vegetable Stock
Zest Of 1 Orange
3 Tsp Brown Sugar
Worcestershire Sauce To Taste
1 Handful Of Smoked Cheese, Parsley and Cream To Garnish
Method
1. Cut the pumpkin in quarters. Scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers. Separate the seeds from the fibers, and save the seeds for roasting, if desired. Cut the remaining pumpkin into small wedges and add to a baking tray.
2. Mix the salt and spices together. Pour the olive oil onto the pumpkin wedges then rub the salt, spice mix all over. We find it easiest to get our hands dirty at this stage! Pop the pumpkin in the oven for around 50 mins at 200o, or until the squash has softened and has changed colour.
3. Meanwhile melt some butter in a big saucepan and fry the onion, garlic and chopped bacon for around 5 minutes. We’ve used Droitwich Salt-Smoked bacon. The bacon is a celebration of all things local from the quality farm where the pigs roam free, to top class butchery by the experts at Buxton Butchers of Webbs. The bacon has a unique smoked taste, but if you’re unable to get hold of a packet, choose a good quality smoked bacon from your own butchers.
4. Once the pumpkin is cooked, let it cool, and then separate the pumpkin flesh from the skin. Add the pumpkin flesh to the pan with the onion mix, stock and cider and the orange zest. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently.
5. Use a hand blender to make the soup nice and smooth. Once blended stir in the brown sugar, and a few good shakes of Worcestershire Sauce. Keep the soup simmering for a good 10 minutes, tasting regularly to add more Worcestershire Sauce if required.
6. Finally add a generous handful of smoked cheese and stir until melted.
7. Divide the soup into bowls and drizzle with some cream, a sprinkling of grated cheese and some chopped parsley.