Jessica Ransom
Gordon Ramsay's pumpkin soup is topped with lightly fried wild mushrooms for an autumnal boost in flavour and some added texture.
This is a lovely recipe for when the weather starts to get colder and the evenings get darker. Gordon makes prepping the soup very easy by roasting it instead of peeling, chopping and boiling it. Not only does it intensify the flavour but it’s much less labour intensive too!
Ingredients
- 1 pumpkin, 1.5kg approx
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
- Handful of rosemary sprigs
- 1½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 30g Parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra for garnish
- 800ml hot ham stock or chicken stock
- 100ml double cream
- 15g butter
For the wild mushrooms:
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 400g mixed wild mushrooms (chanterelles, trompettes etc), cleaned and trimmed
- 10g butter
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Heat the oven to 170C (150C, Gas 3). Cut the pumpkin in half horizontally and remove the seeds - save them to make a snack (see tips below). Score the flesh, season with salt and pepper, then rub with the cut garlic halves. Lay rosemary sprigs and a garlic half in each pumpkin half. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place on baking trays.
- Roast the pumpkin halves for about 1 hour until tender; the timing will depend on the variety, density and thickness. It is ready when you can effortlessly slip a knife into the thickest part of the flesh. Take out the rosemary and garlic; reserve the garlic for later. While still hot, scoop out the pumpkin flesh and set aside. Discard the skins.
- Heat 1 1/2tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent. Scoop out the flesh from 2 or 3 roasted garlic cloves and add to the pan with the nutmeg and a little seasoning. Sauté for a further 1–2 minutes.
- Stir in the soft pumpkin and Parmesan, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10–12 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat for a minute.
- In batches, ladle the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Add the butter and blitz again to a velvety smooth texture. Pour the soup into a clean pan to reheat.
- For the wild mushroom garnish, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a high heat for a few minutes until the moisture released has cooked off and the pan is quite dry. Add the butter, season the mushrooms and stir, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the hot soup into warmed bowls and spoon the sautéed mushrooms into the middle. Top with Parmesan shavings and some freshly ground black pepper.
Top tip for making Gordon Ramsay's pumpkin soup
Gordon says: ‘Roasting a pumpkin intensifies the rich, sweet flavour of its flesh which is lovely for soups but is also great as a filling for ravioli or making a delicious mash with butter, nutmeg and salt and pepper.’ Make extra and freeze in portions of two so you have easy lunch options to see you through the winter. For more tips and tricks from Gordon and our experts, continue reading below.
What kind of pumpkin is good for making soup?
You can make this soup with any type of pumpkin, acorn squash, golden or butternut squash, however, we'd recommend choosing ones that are neither too big nor too small. The mini pumpkins (sometimes called munchkins) which sit in the palm of your hand, would be fiddling to use. Very large pumpkins can be watery which makes for a thin soup with a less velvety texture.
Specialist pumpkins are becoming more popular in UK supermarkets, such as green Natura Delica pumpkins or white ghost ones (which are still orange inside). Both of these would work well. Gordon likes to use a French pumpkin for this recipe.
Can you cook a carving pumpkin?
You can! All pumpkins are edible, but the very large ones are grown for size, rather than flavour, and they tend to be a bit stringy or watery, making them a less satisfactory option for soup. Gourds are not edible, they are just for decorating or carving.
What can I do with the pumpkin seeds?
Use up your pumpkins seeds to make the most delicious cook's snack. When you remove them from the pumpkin halves, drop them into a bowl of water. Rub them together and swirl around to remove the stringy bits of flesh. Dry them on kitchen towel and arrange them in a layer on a baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and roast them with the pumpkin halves, for about 10-15 minutes, shaking the tray every 5 minutes until golden and crisp.
How can you tell if a pumpkin is ripe?
Gordon suggests tapping the bottom of a pumpkin and if it sounds hollow, like a drum it is ripe. It should also be just soft and tender if you push near the root with your thumb.
What can I use instead of wild mushrooms?
‘I love the deep complex flavour of wild mushrooms but if you can’t get them chestnut or field mushrooms still deliver great taste’, says Gordon.
He adds: ‘Mushrooms work really well with pumpkin because they have a warm earthy flavour that compliments the pumpkin beautifully.’
For the smoothest, silkiest soup imaginable you’ll need to blitz it in a food processor. Read food editor Jessica Dady’s KitchenAid Artisan K400 Blender review if you’re looking to invest in one.
For a simpler recipe, check out our pumpkin soup. We also have a guide on what to do with leftover pumpkin. You could make the soup as a starter and serve this Gordon Ramsay beef Wellington recipe as the main for your next dinner party.
