Parmesan Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage
Infused with sage leaves and parmesan rinds (yes, the bits you would normally throw away!), this silky smooth pumpkin soup, topped crispy sage leaves and grated parmesan is delicately flavoured for the fussiest eaters but also an easy way to serve up a decadent soup to impress your guests.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Pumpkin peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks
- 2 medium Onions finely chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Ghee heaped
- 1 handful Sage leaves fresh
- 2-3 Parmesan rinds
- 500 ml Water
- 50 g Parmesan grated
Instructions
- In a food processor, chop the pumpkin into small pieces; in batches if necessary
- In a large saucepan, heat the ghee and add the onions. Gently fry for around 5 minutes, before adding the garlic. Continue to fry for a further 2mins until the onions have softened and begin to caramelise. It is very important not to burn the onions at this stage; they should be lightly golden and translucent.
- Add the water so it just covers the vegetables as well as the parmesan rinds and half the fresh sage leaves. Now add a generous sprinkle of salt to taste and bring to a boil. [As you’re not using stock, you’re in control of how much salt you use. Don’t be afraid to bring out the flavour with enough salt]
- Reduce the heat and cover. Let it simmer for around 45mins on a very low heat to allow the parmesan and sage leaves to infuse their delicious flavours into the soup.
- Allow the soup to cool and ideally, if time permits, allow the flavours to infuse overnight. Otherwise, once the soup has cooled a little, discard the parmesan rinds and sage leaves before blending the soup using a hand blender or a food processor for around 2 mins, until the soup is silky smooth. If the soup is too thick, add a little boiled water until desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- For the crispy sage leaves, heat a little ghee in a frying pan and put the leaves in one by one. Allow them to sizzle on one side for a minute or so before turning. Once they are golden, remove and place them on a kitchen towel.
- To serve, top with a few crispy sage leaves and a sprinkle of grated parmesan.
Notes
NO WASTE - this soup is perfect to use up
- Parmesan rinds that you would normally throw away...they are perfect to infuse into any soup.
Be sure to count them in so you don't leave one inadvertently before blending! - Inner flesh that you scoop out of Halloween pumpkins