Potage De Potiron Et Poireaux

Hello junior chefs, and today we got another delight for you for this whole two weeks, but the twist is that all of the titles are in Spanish. This recipe is called Potage De Potiron Et. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 kg/2/1/4 lb pumpkin
• 1 potato, quartered
• 4 leeks, about 500 6/1 lb 2 oz
• 1.2 litres/2 pints water
• large pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper
• 125 ml/4 fl oz crème fraîche or double cream
• pinch of sugar (optional)
• 25 g/1 oz butter, cut into pieces
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Method

 

1. Peel the pumpkin and discard the seeds and tough fibers.  Cut the flesh into pieces the same size as the potato. Halve the leeks lengthways, slice the white and pale green parts into 2.5 cm/1 inch pieces and rinse in a colander to wash away the grit.
2. Put the pumpkin, potato, leeks and water in a large saucepan with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Strain the liquid into a large jug and reserve. Work the vegetables through a sieve or food mill back  into the saucepan, discarding the fibers from the sieve. Stir in the reserved liquid.
4. Shortly before serving, reheat the soup in the pan with half the cream, adding more water if the soup is very thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding sugar and more nutmeg if it seems bland. Remove the soup from the heat, add the butter pieces and stir until melted. Spoon into warm bowls, stir a spoonful of the remaining cream into each bowl and top with sprinkling of chives.
5. Butternut squash can be substituted for the pumpkin, onions for the leeks. For an autumnal approach, leave out all but one leek and add an 800 g/1 3/4 lb can of cooked whole chestnuts in water, drained, just before serving.

Note

 

Pumpkin soup is perfect before a roast-bird - turkey, chicken or game such as pheasant. Baste the bird with butter and make generous amounts of wine gravy. For dessert? Chocolate crème brûlée or vanilla ice-cream with chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts.