Missing Lowell Pumpkin Soup

You’re missing him. It’s drizzly, dark and freezing outside. There’s only one thing for it – soup!

 1 medium onion

50g butter

A pumpkin weighing a little under a kilo

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 small dried chillies

1 litre stock

A handful of smoked bacon lardons – 150g or so

100ml single cream

A frozen pizza (really!) 

Get the nightmare job out of the way first – peeling the pumpkin. This is seriously hard work. I have broken vegetable peelers this way, but the adage goes that the harder it is to get into, the sweeter the flesh. That said one of the best varieties is called Ironbark for a good reason. I tend to cut it into 4 or 6 wedges, get rid of the stringy bits and seeds, and then cut the skin from each slice with a big knife. When peeled, cut the pumpkin into cubes. It’s a doodle from here.

Cheer yourself up by putting some Glenn Gould on the CD player. As it’s coming up to Christmas, Bach would be cool. If you listen closely you can hear him humming along tunelessly so feel free to do the same.

Chop the onion and cook in the butter, until translucent. Add the garlic after 5 minutes. In goes the pumpkin and cook until it starts to go brown at the edges.

Toast the spices and dried chillies until the kitchen starts to smell distinctly Moorish. You could grind in a coffee grinder but soup making is an artisan task I think. Get out the pestle and mortar and start bashing.

Add to the vegetables and pour on the stock. Chicken or veg would be good – I’m assuming you don’t have home made to hand and recommend Marigold Swiss Bouillon, which is powdered or Knorr Stock Pots which are a concentrated gel. These are a very handy thing to keep in the cupboard – just ignore the awful Marco Pierre White adverts for them on the TV.

Cook until the pumpkin is nice and tender – half an hour probably.

Fry the bacon - the pan you used to toast the spices will probably impart a little more spiciness! Get them crispy and golden.

Blend the soup – I reckon a jug blender will get it smoother than a stick version. Season well and return to the pan to warm through. Add the cream and stir.

The pizza is to go with it – using a cookie cutter cut out circles of pizza, arrange on a baking tray and cook according to the directions. I think a plain pizza will work best – Margarita or perhaps ham & mushroom. Nothing too exciting please – this is only the supporting act.

When all is ready pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the crispy bacon. Serve the elegant, tiny pizzas on the side.