Pumpkin Soup

[Miruwin]

This is without doubt, one of the best pumpkin soups I have ever tasted.

Ingredients:

4-6 rashers of bacon or 1-2 cups of diced bacon
2-3 onions (either white or brown)
2 peeled and cored green apples
1/2 a Queensland Blue pumpkin, or 1/2 a butternut pumpkin, or 1 Jap pumpkin (any good flavoured pumpkin will be suitable)
1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg
Cracked black pepper to taste
2 litres of good quality chicken stock (around 3 pints)
600ml of milk (around 1 pint)
Chives
Sour Cream (optional)

Method:
1. Cut the rind of the bacon and discard (you can leave it in one strip and fry it up with the bacon for extra flavour if you wish) and dice
2. Peel and dice the onions
3. Peel, core and dice the apples
4. Peel, remove seeds and dice the pumpkin
5. Melt around 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine in a heavy based large frypan or soup pot. You can use cooking oil if you prefer
6. Toss the bacon, onion, apple, pumpkin into the pan and gently fry until bacon is cooked
7. Pour the chicken stock into the soup pot and add the bacon and vegetable to the stock and simmer
8. Add a handful of fresh chopped chives (dried are suitable too) add the nutmeg and the black pepper
9. Simmer gently for approximately 30 mins until all ingredients are soft
10. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool enough either put through a blender and puree, or strain through a sieve and mash the remainder. Be careful when straining not to accidentally discard the liquid
11. Place puree and liquid back into the soup pot, add milk and mix well whilst bringing soup back to heat . Do not allow soup to boil.
13. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream on top and sprinkle with fresh chives.

Note: If you are making large quantities up, portions can be frozen for later use prior to returning to the soup pot and adding milk. Simply freeze in serving sizes and when required, thaw and add milk whilst reheating.

[Thoraf]

OMG. that looks like a lot of work just to read it let alone try and produce something edible at the end. I'll let De'ana know though

[binndii]

Dude!!! Its to DIE for!!!

[Thoraf]

If I was starving in a third world country I might consider soup, but definitely NOT while I can afford steak.