Chunky butternut pumpkin and chick pea soup

From Delicious July 2008 - Jamie Oliver

Serves 4-6
1 butternut pumpkin, peeled, diced, seeds rinsed and reserved
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 dried red chili crumbled
Olive oil
2 celery sticks
3 garlic cloves
a few sprigs of flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped, stalks finely chopped
2 small red onions, finely chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock (GF)
2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, drained
2 tsp each fennel seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds

2/3 cup almond flakes
zest of 2 lemons
sprigs of mint, leaves chopped
Extra virgin olive oil


Preheat the oven to 200C. Put the pumpkin, cumin and dried chili on a baking ray. Drizzle with oil, mix together and roast for 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Heat a large saucepan over medium low heat and pour in a splash of olive oi. Add the celery, garlic, parsley stalks and two thirds of the onion. Cook gently with a lid on until softened. Drop in the pumpkin and sweat for a few minutes then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and simmer for 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile toast the reserved pumpkin seeds with the fennel seeds, sesame and poppy seeds and almonds in the oven on a baking tray for 3-4 minutes or until nicely coloured all over.

Season the soup well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then using a stick blender whiz for a few seconds so it thickens, but there are still some chunky bits. Keep warm while you mix together the zest, parsley and mint leaves. Chop the remaining onion finely then mix it into the zesty herb mixture.

To serve, ladle into the soup bowl and stir once, then sprinkle with toasted nuts and seeds followed by the herby mixture. Finish with a drizzle of some extra virgin olive oil.