This super-easy pumpkin soup is the perfect October staple

People seem to have this idea that when you’re making pumpkin soup you also need to add onions, carrot, celery and whatever. You don’t. What you need to do is get the best pumpkin you can find and focus on that. This recipe has butter, milk and pumpkin. That’s it. The point with this one is you make it really quickly and eat it straight away. Butternut pumpkin is the best because of its creaminess, but any pumpkin would work with this recipe.

Easy Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients
75g unsalted butter
1×1.5 kg butternut pumpkin (squash), peeled, seeds removed, flesh coarsely grated
1.5 litres full-cream (whole) milk
crème fraîche, cracked black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and bread rolls, to serve

Method
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pumpkin and cook for 6-7 minutes until softened. Add the milk and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the pumpkin is completely tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until just warm.

Once cool, pour the soup into a blender or use a handheld blender and blend until smooth. The soup should be light and smooth; if it’s too thick, add a little milk or water. Season to taste.

Top with a little crème fraîche, cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve with a bread roll on the side.

Extracted from Just George by George Calombaris (Hardie Grant, approx €25). Photography © Armelle Habib.