Weeknight
Tom Kerridge's pumpkin & bacon soup
Roasted pumpkin, smoky streaky bacon, sweated onions and thyme, blitzed silky with a good chicken stock. Autumn in a bowl — from Tom Kerridge in BBC Good Food, October 2016.
Outstanding. Sweet roasted pumpkin, salty bacon, a proper hit of thyme — this is the soup I make when the wind turns.
Method
- 01
Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan. Toss the pumpkin chunks in 2 tbsp of the oil, season, and spread on a large tray. Roast for 30-35 minutes until caramelised at the edges and completely tender.
- 02
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large heavy pan. Cook the chopped bacon over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the fat is rendered and it's just starting to crisp.
- 03
Add the onion, garlic and thyme, and sweat gently for 10 minutes until soft and sweet, without colouring.
- 04
Tip in the roasted pumpkin and pour over the hot stock. Simmer for 10 minutes so everything gets acquainted.
- 05
Blitz until completely silky with a stick blender (or in batches in a jug blender). Stir through the cream, taste, and adjust seasoning — pumpkin loves a lot of black pepper.
- 06
Ladle into warmed bowls, swirl with extra cream, scatter with the crisp bacon and chives, and serve with hot bread.
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