roast pumpkin and corn chowder

…well the weather is finally on the turn here in the UK.  The rain has swept over the land and whilst we’ve still got these unusually warm days the nights are without doubt colder.  The wood-burning stove has been lit and we have a wonderfully toasty and cosy cottage.  We’ve taken a little time off this week to recuperate prior to the busy winter period and some may say that it’s a shame it’s raining out there but actually this just gives us an excuse to properly relax and unwind… the scrabble is out, the slow-cooker is on… i’m even contemplating a new pair of flannel pyjamas… yes folk, we’re talking serious autumn here…

roast pumpkin and corn chowder in wholemeal bread bowls
the thing about pumpkin is that even though it produces a gloriously velvety soup it can be a little bland in flavour but roasting it first with a little cumin or fennel can really help bring out its nuttiness… you should also try and find the little pumpkin such as the harlequin or munchkin pumpkins which have much more flavour than the extremely bland large carving ones.  This soup has the most wonderful aroma when roasting and the whole house will come alive with the scent of autumn… the perfect antidote for this increasingly chilly days.

for the soup
1 medium harlequin pumpkin – peeled, de-seeded and cut into large chunks
3 small potatoes – peeled and chopped
1 medium onion – finely chopped
2 sticks of celery – finely chopped
2 small carrots – peeled and finely chopped
100g frozen sweetcorn
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
a selection of fresh herbs
olive oil and seasoning
1 litre good veg stock

for the wholemeal bread bowls
200g strong white flour
200g wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon dried active yeast
1 teaspoon salt
300ml luke warm water
2 tablespoons of olive oil

start with the bread by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl and then kneading for about 10 mins until soft, place the dough back into the bowl, cover with cling film and leave it to rise for at least an hour or until doubled in size

one the dough is risen, knock it back on an oiled surface and divide the dough into 4 and shape into rounds, lay out on a baking sheet and cover again with cling film and set aside for 30 mins whilst you pre-heat the oven to 200C

when you’re ready to back, spritz each loaf with water, then place a roasting tin in the oven and when the oven comes up to temperature pour some water into the tray to create some steam, the place the loaves into the oven on 200C for 10 mins then turn down the oven to 180C for 25-30 mins, they will be ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom – set aside on a wire rack to cool completely

to make the soup lay the pumpkin in a roasting tin with a little olive oil and the fennel seeds and roast on 170C for about 30 mins until the pumpkin is are tender beginning to turn golden

meanwhile, in a large pan, melt some butter and olive oil and saute the onions, carrots, potato and celery until they are soft, adding some fresh herbs and seasoning about half way through – this should take about 10 minutes on a gentle heat, then tip in the roasted pumpkin and frozen sweetcorn, cover with stock and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes then turn off the heat and let the soup cool for about 10 minutes before you blitz with a hand blender… we like our soup with chunks of vegetables in but you can go as smooth as you like…

when you’re ready to serve place the rolls back into a hot oven for about 5 mins to totally firm up the crusts then cut a lid off the top of the bowls, scoop out the bread and fill the bowls with soup

I am of course linking this soup to the No Croutons Required link-up hosted by Jac from Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa from Lisa’s Kitchen… if you’re a fan of soups like me then do check out the links and the round-up at the end of each month as there’s always a huge variety of inspirational recipes…

this recipe is also linking up to Bready Steady Go! hosted by Jen from Jen’s Food and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy

eat and of course, enjoy!