Pumpkin and Leek Soup

By corlear

Soupe au Potiron et aux Poireaux

"In passing through the Maconnois," wrote Tobias Smollett in 1766, "I observed a vast quantity of very large pompions [pumpkins] with the contents of which they thicken their soup and ragoüts." And so they still do, two centuries later.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb potatoes
• 1 1/2 lb pumpkin
• white part of 4 leeks, split
• 1 qt water, more if needed
• salt
• pepper
• 5 Tbsp butter
• a few springs chervil OR 1 tsp chopped chives
• 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Halve the potatoes, or quarter them if large. Peel the pumpkin and remove any seeds and fibres: you should have about 625 g/1 lb peeled flesh. Cut it into pieces about the same size as the potatoes. Cut the leeks into 2—3 pieces. Put all the vegetables into a large pot with the water and some salt. Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Purée the vegetables and liquid in a food mill or blender.

Return the puréed soup to the pot and bring it back to a boil; add more water if it is too thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, a piece at a time. Add the chervil and taste for seasoning; if the soup lacks flavour, add the sugar. Serve very hot.