Roast Pumpkin Soup with Parmesan and Paprika Croutons.
Ingredients:
1kg pumpkin1 onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1.5ltr reduced-sodium vegetable stock
150ml Donegal Rapeseed Oil
4 slices of dry bread
2 tbsp grated Parmesan
1/2 tbsp paprika
2tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
1. Cut the pumpkin into quarters, scoop out the seeds and discard.
2. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with half of the oil and bake in a moderate oven, 180C/160C fan/ gas mark 4 for about 1 hour or until soft. Leave to cool, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
3. Sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in 50ml of the oil. When soft, add the thyme and rosemary along with the pumpkin and the vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes. When cooked, blitz the soup and pass through a sieve into a clean pan.
4. Remove the crust from the bread, cut into small cubes, drizzle with the remainder of the oil and bake in the oven for about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan, Cook for another 2 minutes. When finished, dust with paprika and leave to cool.
5. Heat the soup, serve in a warm bowl and top with the croutons and roasted seeds