PUMPKIN & CHESTNUT SOUP WITH SAGE & CHESTNUT PESTO
It’s pumpkin season and as always, I expect I’ll totally overdo it on the pumpkin recipes. I have a bit of a tendency to overdo things when I get really into them. You know that bad habit of playing a song you love on repeat until you can’t bear it anymore? I definitely do that with seasonal ingredients, but I kind of love it.
I have a whole list of pumpkin recipes I want to try out and I’ve already made this exact soup three times within the space of a couple of weeks. It’s a golden oldie but I’ve put a bit of a spin on it adding the sage and chestnut pesto which you stir into the hot soup to add flavour. It is just so good – so good that I ended up just spreading the pesto on toast and dipping it into the hot soup. It’s autumn in a mouthful.
Here’s what you need to make this delicious pumpkin soup with a chestnut & sage pesto:
Ingredients for the chestnut & sage pesto:
16 large sage leaves
10g flat leaf parsley
100g chestnuts
25g parmesan
130g olive oil, that’s about 150ml (you may need more depending on the consistency you like)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste
Ingredients for the soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large knob butter
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
500g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into large cubes
1 large carrot, sliced
150g chestnuts (I used frozen peeled chestnuts)
650ml good quality stock (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
A pinch nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
Coconut milk (optional)
Instructions:
To make the pesto, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend well for a few minutes.
To make the soup, heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan on medium heat. Turn the heat down a little and add the chopped onion. Fry gently for a good 10 minutes stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. When the onion is soft, add the chopped garlic and fry for another couple of minutes or until fragrant. Add the pumpkin, chestnuts, vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the nutmeg and the chilli flakes. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. If it’s too think, add additional stock or a bit of coconut milk if you have some on hand.
Serve with a swirl of sage and chestnut pesto, chilli flakes and black pepper.
Tips & tricks:
If you have time to roast and peel your own chestnuts, I would highly recommend it.
Frying the onion gently at the beginning for a long time is really key to getting a lot of flavour in the soup. As tempting as it is to rush it, don’t skip this step. Keep the heat low and make sure it doesn’t colour too much.
I sometimes add coconut milk but mostly make it without as I don’t think it needs it.
Enjoy the leftover pesto on gnocchi the day after – it’s so good!! I made it for a friend with some fried courgette and it was delicious.
What are your favourite pumpkin recipes? Are you also bound to totally overdo it this season?
Thanks for stopping by for a read. Let me know if you do make this recipe and have a lovely, lovely day. xS
