A versatile soup made with a vegetable, chicken or ginger broth. Pumpkin Velouté is light but tasty, making it a good starter or lunchtime soup when you need something warming but not too heavy. It’s also easy and relatively quick to put together. We’ve kept it versatile: changing the stock lets you adjust how rich, spicy, or simple you want the soup to be. The ginger butter is gorgeous, but again, entirely optional.
Stock Options
If you don’t have time to make your own stock, use a ready-made stock (chicken or vegetable) or a good stock cube. The ginger broth adds an extra step and extra ingredients to the process. Simmer it for 30-45 minutes; any longer, and it becomes too earthy and loses the vegetables’ freshness. I’ve added the recipe if you have time. Home-made chicken stock, on the other hand, needs at least an hour and can be simmered for up to 4/5 hours. I typically make chicken stock after roasting a chicken. Saving the carcass and bones, and then adding celery, onions, peppercorns, a bay leaf, and garlic.
The ingredient list for Pumpkin Velouté is short, and the recipe is simple. But, as with our cauliflower velouté, be patient when simmering the pumpkin in the milk. Turn up the heat too much, and it will curdle. We’ve used whole-fat milk for comfort and richness, and it is much less likely to curdle than lower-fat versions.
It is ideal for batch cooking as it freezes well. You then have the perfect meal: a delicious lunchtime soup or a starter for the weekend, ready to go. Freeze the ginger butter separately in ice trays.
The Butternut Squash velouté stays in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. The same goes for the ginger butter.
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Pumpkin Velouté with Ginger Butter
Equipment
- 1 blender or immersion stick blender or Italian food mill (passatutto).
Ingredients
The Soup
- 500 g butternut squash or pumpkin – cut into 2-3 cm chunks
- 2 large sweet yellow onions
- 30-40 g butter
- 1 generous tbsp flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme optional
- 250 ml whole milk or plant-based milk
- 250 -350 ml light chicken, vegetable stock or ginger broth (see below)
- scant tsp salt
- olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- a few coriander or parsely leaves to garnish
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or chill flakes to garnish
Turmeric and Ginger Butter
- 1 tbsp grated ginger or tbsp juiced ginger
- 80 g butter
- 1-2 cloves grated garlic
Ginger Broth
- 2 medium onions rougly chopped (skins on)
- 2 ribs celery with leaves
- 1 large handful broadleaf parsely
- 2 medium carrots – roughly chopped
- 3-4 roughy crushed garlic with skins on
- 3 cms finely sliced fresh turmeric optional
- 5 cms finely sliced fresh ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 petals star anise
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp peppercorns
- 2-3 cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 litres water
- fresh lemon juice and salt to season
Instructions
Ginger Broth
- Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan, including the water, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Strain and adjust seasoning with a bit of lemon juice and salt. You should have around one litre of stock
The Soup
- Sauté the onions in a little butter and olive oil until soft. Add the diced pumpkin, bay leaf, thyme and salt. Toss in the buttery mixture and sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Do not add salt if your stock is salted.
- Gently toss again and slowly pour in the milk. Set over a very low heat and cook until the pumpkin is soft. Stir occasionally.
- Once ready, let the mixture cool (remove the bay and thyme) and then puree it with a stem mixer or blender, or pass it through an Italian food mill. Return to the heat and add your chosen stock until you achieve a good consistency. Bring to a quick boil and test for seasoning.
Ginger Butter
- Meanwhile, make the ginger butter. Add the grated ginger and butter to a heavy-based pan and heat over medium heat until the butter has melted. If using ginger juice, add it once the butter starts to melt. Add a pinch of salt if necessary. For an added touch, you could then sauté a little garlic in the butter for a spicier zing. Pass it through a sieve before using.
To Serve
- Swirl in a dash of the ginger butter, a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper, and garnish with fresh coriander or parsley. Accompanied by thinly sliced toasted wholemeal bread.
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