Pumpkin Soup with Parmesan

Nothing tastes better on an autumnal night than a bowl of thick, hot pumpkin soup with well buttered crusty bread. This recipe adds a cheesy flavour with the help of Parmesan cheese. When using Parmesan, don’t throw away the rinds. Throw them in the freezer to use at a later date. They are great when thrown into soup for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Pumpkin Soup with Parmesan

50g butter
1 onion, chopped
About 1kg pumpkin or butternut squash, deseeded and cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
75ml white wine
900ml fresh chicken or vegetable stock
15g Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and pumpkin and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for a further 5 minutes.

Add the wine and stock, simmer for a few minutes, then add the Parmesan cheese. Increase the heat, bring the soup to the boil; simmer for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is really soft. Set aside to cool slightly, then remove and discard the bay leaves.

Purée the soup using a blender until really smooth. Serve warm with crusty bread.

This soup also freezes well. Freeze in portion sized batches and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I store mine in small water or juice bottles that have a wide neck. This gives me just enough for a portion. I defrost overnight and reheat thoroughly, adding a little extra grated parmesan for a added cheesy kick!