Description
Pumpkin, sage and blue cheese, need we say more? The blue cheese ‘crumbs’ are a tasty take on croutons, making this soup a warming winner.
Ingredients
100 g butter
1 bunch of leeks, sliced
750 g pumpkin cubes
4 C (1 litre) vegetable stock
1 C (250 ml) fresh breadcrumbs
about 60 g blue cheese
½ C (125 ml) reduced-fat cream or milk (optional)
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
sugar to taste
12 sage leaves
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Generously grease a baking tray.
Heat half the butter until bubbling then add the leeks and sauté until softened. Add the pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes to develop the flavour. Add the stock, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
Meanwhile, place the breadcrumbs and blue cheese in a food processor and blitz together to form clumpy dampened crumbs. Place the crumbs onto the prepared baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes, stirring and giving them a shake from time to time, until golden and crispy.
Once the pumpkin is soft, add the cream, if using, and purée the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Add the nutmeg and season to taste.
Heat the remaining 50 g butter in a frying pan until golden and bubbling, then add the sage leaves and fry until crispy and bright green. Drain on a paper towel.
Serve the soup with the blue cheese crumbs and crispy sage leaves.
