Chestnut, Bacon, Bean and Pumpkin Soup

It is a scrumptious soup recipe from Cooking by Jeremy Lee. Make it on a chilly day when you do not have a lot else to do, it takes some time however tastes nice. You could soak the beans the night time earlier than.

Chestnut, bacon, bean and pumpkin soup – 6 p

• 2 small onions
• 3 celery stalks
• 3 giant carrots
• 1 smoked ham hock or diced smoked pancetta
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• a small stick of rosemary
• a small handful of thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• a beneficiant pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 250 g dried borlotti beans, soaked in a single day in loads of chilly water
• 1 small pumpkin or a slice of pumpkin, about 1 kg
• 250g vac-packed chestnuts
• Parmesan cheese and good additional virgin olive oil, to serve

Peel and lower the onions, celery and carrot into coarse items. When you use smoked ham, lower it into small cubes.

Warmth the olive oil in a large, heavy pan and add the pork, herbs, garlic, chilli flakes and greens. Stir effectively, cowl with a lid and cook dinner over a delicate warmth, stirring sometimes, for about 1½ – 2 hours. In case your ring is sizzling, they could take rather less time to melt and caramelize. The thought is to cook dinner them as slowly as potential till you’ve got reached this, then proceed with the recipe.

Drain the beans and rinse underneath chilly water till clear. Place the beans in a pan with loads of chilly water and convey to a boil over excessive warmth. Drain effectively and rinse calmly, then dump onto the greens and canopy with 4-5 cm of water. Carry to a boil, scale back to a simmer and cook dinner for not less than an hour or till the beans are tender. Do not be tempted to stir the soup whereas the beans are cooking, you need them to stay collectively.

Preheat the oven to 180C and roast the pumpkin entire for 40 minutes to 1 hour or till gentle and fudgy. Take away from oven and let cool, then take away seeds and pores and skin. Mash the cooked pumpkin and add to the cooked beans.

Coarsely chop the chestnuts, add them to the soup and gently warmth them again up. Watch out when stirring to maintain the beans as intact as potential. Season effectively with salt and black pepper.

Serve in heat bowls with loads of grated Parmesan and drizzled together with your greatest olive oil.

(Authentic recipe from Cooking by Jeremy Lee, 4th Property, 2022.)