Pumpkin and chestnut velouté recipe for the first cold week
Roasting the pumpkin instead of boiling it is what separates a thin autumn soup from one with real backbone, and chestnuts do the thickening.
Pumpkin and chestnut velouté is the dish that marks the point in November when soup season properly begins, built on two ingredients that peak together in northern Europe right now.
Most pumpkin soups taste thin because the pumpkin is boiled, which dilutes it before it has a chance to taste of anything. Roasting it first drives off water and browns its natural sugars, which is where the depth comes from. Chestnuts, already cooked and in every market stall this month, add body and a sweet, nutty backbone without a spoonful of flour.
Ingredients
Roast the pumpkin, don't boil it: that's the difference between soup and flavoured water.
- 1 kg pumpkin or squash, peeled and cubed
- 200 g cooked, peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed is fine)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 litre vegetable or light chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Olive oil, plus a knob of butter
- Grated nutmeg, to taste
- Salt and white pepper
- 4 tbsp crème fraîche
- Chives, snipped
- A few drops of walnut or hazelnut oil
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the pumpkin in olive oil and roast for 20 minutes, until the edges caramelise. Browning drives off water and turns the pumpkin's sugars toasty instead of watery, which boiling never does.
- While the pumpkin roasts, melt the butter in a large pot and sweat the onion and garlic gently, with no colour, for 5-6 minutes. A slow sweat builds a sweet aromatic base without the bitterness browning would add here.
- Add the roasted pumpkin, chestnuts, stock and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. The chestnuts' starch is doing the thickening, so there is no need for flour or cream at this stage.
- Remove the bay leaf and blend until completely smooth. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
- Ladle into bowls, swirl in the crème fraîche, scatter chives on top and finish with a few drops of walnut oil.
A faster version, and what to drink
Short on time, swap half the chestnuts for a spoonful of ready-made chestnut purée stirred in at the end. For a sharper finish, fry a few sage leaves in butter for 30 seconds until crisp and use them instead of chives.
This pumpkin chestnut veloute recipe is recognisable by one thing: no flour, only chestnuts.
An off-dry white such as a Vouvray handles the pumpkin's sweetness without disappearing into it. For something without alcohol, warm spiced apple juice does the same job. For the other side of this month's pumpkin, Italy's chestnut harvest is having its own, pricier season.Can I make it ahead?
Can I make pumpkin and chestnut velouté in advance? Yes, it keeps for up to three days in the fridge and tastes better the next day once the flavours settle; reheat it gently and add the crème fraîche and chives just before serving.
Can I freeze it? Freeze it without the crème fraîche for up to two months; thaw overnight in the fridge and blend again briefly to restore the texture.
