Velouté Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Croutons - A Delightful Fall Recipe
A magical Hokkaido orange pumpkin soup is perfect to open the festive table or to enjoy as a light and healthy everyday meal.Pumpkin is a widely used autumn and winter vegetable. It is a superfood vegetable with a rich and distinct sweet taste that we should include in our diet.The orange pumpkin known as Hokkaido has firm flesh with a delicate chestnut flavor and high vitamin and fiber content. It is ideal for soups, sauces, jams, in roasts or risotto.
Ingredients
- 800 grams Hokkaido pumpkin peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 piece dry onion cut into thin slices
- 100 grams white mushrooms cut into thin slices
- 2 piece medium potatoes cut into thin slices
- 2 piece oranges juice and zest of one orange
- 1/2 lt low fat cream
- 100 grams milk
- 1 shot black balsamic vinegar (not cream)
- 100 grams olive oil
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
For the croutons:
- 2 slices country bread cut into small cubes
- 40 grams cow butter
- salt
- Pepper
For the bacon:
- 100 grams bacon cut into small cubes
For the topping:
- whipping cream
- olive oil
Instructions
- In a non-stick pan, once hot, add the butter and melt it without burning. Add the cubes of country bread to the pan and stir well until the bread cubes absorb the butter and become crispy, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and place the diced bacon on it and grill until crispy. Remove the pan to the counter and let the bacon cool until ready to use.
- In a cast iron skillet and once hot, add the olive oil and add the chopped pumpkin, potatoes, onion, mushrooms, a little salt and sugar and sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables have released their liquid.
- Then add 800 g of water or vegetable stock and boil the vegetables over medium heat without the lid.
- When the vegetables are halfway through boiling, add the orange juice, zest, balsamic vinegar, nutmeg, pepper and smoked paprika and continue boiling over medium heat.
- When the vegetables are boiling, blend them with a hand blender until they become a paste and add the milk and cream and blend again to combine the ingredients.
- Put the pot back on the heat and heat over very low heat for a few minutes without boiling the velouté or it will cut.
- Serve immediately and garnish the surface of the velouté with the cooked bacon, croutons, a little cream and olive oil.