Creamy Pumpkin Soup

(original recipe from Women's Weekly Basic Cookbook)
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 Dessert Spoon Oil (Rice Bran etc.)
1 Rounded Table Spoon Butter
1 Medium to Large Onion - roughly chopped
2 Bacon Rashers - rind removed and roughly chopped
750g - 1kg Pumpkin - roughly chopped
1 Large Potato - cut into quarters
1 Litre Water (4 Cups).
2 OXO Chicken Cubes
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cream


METHOD


1. Add Oil & Butter into large heavy based saucepan on stove top (medium heat)

Peel and chop up Onion (no need to chop it too small because it's all going to be processed)
Add to Oil and Butter and give a good stir and allow to fry while you prepare the other ingredients.

De-rind and chop up Bacon - add to frying Onion and give a good stir and allow to fry - stirring so it doesn't burn.


Peel and de seed Pumpkin - chop into chunky bits - add to saucepan with Onion and Bacon
Peel and chop Potato into quarters - add to saucepan.

Stir everything together well with a wooden spoon.....scrape bottom of saucepan to release any cooked on bits

Allow to fry while you get the Water & Chicken Stock Cube ready.

Dissolve Chicken Stock Cube in Water - pour into saucepan and give it all a really good stir up.

Put the lid on the saucepan and turn the heat to high and bring to the boil

Once boiling reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until Pumpkin and Potato are tender

2.  Once cooked, remove saucepan from heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth
(if using a bench-top blender, blend in several batches)

Return blended soup back to stove top to reheat - stirring constantly.

Plate up - add a swirl of cream to each serve.


NB:  It doesn't really matter what kind of Pumpkin you use - a mixture is always yummy.

If there seems to be a lot of water once it's all boiled and ready for blending (can only see liquid and no pumpkin) - just remove (and save) some of the liquid  before blending. 

You can always add as much as you like back into the soup until it's the consistency you're after.

The soup will keep for at least 2 - 3 days in the fridge and can be frozen for two months.