Chilli and cheese pumpkin soup

Ingredients

• 750g pumpkin
• 1 onion, quartered
• 4 cloves of garlic
• salt, pepper and smoked paprika to season
• pinch curry powder (optional)
• parmessan shavings to serve
• chilli flakes to sprinkle
• sage leaves, crisp fried to garnish
• rapeseed oil to drizzle

Method

1. Scrape out pumpkin seeds and discard. Peel and slice the pumpkin into wedges and place on an oven tray
2. Add quartered onion (skin on)
3. Place the garlic in tin foil, add a drizzle of rapeseed oil and scrunch to seal
4. Season pumpkin and onion wedges with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and smoked paprika
5. Drizzle with rapeseed oil
6. Put the garlic and tray of vegetables in the oven and roast at 180 oC fan for about half an hour till soft and tender
7. Remove from the oven and place the pumpkin and onion (skins removed) in a blender
8. Press the softened garlic out of their skins and place the flesh in the blender
9. Add an equal volume of hot water or vegetable stock, a pinch of curry powder and blitz to puree
10. To serve, place parmessan shavings in the bottom of 4 bowls
11. Add the pumpkin puree and scatter with chilli flakes
12. Garnish with wilted baby spinach and a drizzle of rapeseed oil
13. Happy Halloween