Here’s my Crown Prince pumpkin soup with home-churned paprika butter and pumpkin seed and spelt sourdough bread, from my Bonfire Night supper club menu in early November at Brown and Green, Crystal Palace. This can easy shift to vegan, if you replace the home-charred butter with a vegan butter alternative. To see the full menu with recipes, click here.
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Serves 6
1 small Crown Prince pumpkin, deseed and chopped into large pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
100g roasted chestnuts
pinch of sugar
6 leaves of sage, chopped
800ml boiling water
1/2 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
450g spelt and pumpkin seed sourdough bread or similar
250g double cream
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sea salt, plus extra to season
black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Place the pumpkin pieces on an oven tray and roast for 20 mins.
In the meantime, place the double cream, sea salt and paprika in a large bowl or jug and whisk for 5 mins, or until the a butter-like consistency has formed and milk has separated from it. Drain the milk away and press the butter down with a wooden spoon, to squeeze out any further milk. Drain and cover. Chill until 20 mins before needed, then take out of the fridge to soften before use.
Add the boiling water to the porcini mushrooms in a jug and stand for 20 mins.
Place the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and garlic, then sauté on low for 10 mins. Add the roasted pumpkin and chestnuts, and sauté for 3 mins, breaking up the pumpkin and chestnuts with a wooden spoon.
Remove the rehydrated mushrooms from the water and chop roughly, then add them to the saucepan. Add the sugar and sage, and cook, stirring, for 2 mins. Stir in the mushroom water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 mins. Allow to cool slightly, then use a stick blender to blend the soup into a smooth mixture.
Serve in teacups with the paprika butter and sourdough bread.
