Pumpkin Soup Base Recipe - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
4 medium onions, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 kg pumpkin, peeled,seeded,roughly chopped
8 -10 cups chicken stock or 8 -10 cups vegetable stock
fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic and celery; cook until softened but don't colour (about 5 minutes).
Add the pumpkin, stock (you only want enough stock to barely reach the top of the pumkin).
Stir and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is tender (about 40 minutes).
Blend or process until smooth.
Cool quickly and freeze in 5x1 litre portions.
*Thissoup is really quite thick at this stage, so when thawed you can add:
*1/2cup of cream and nutmeg for a traditional finish.
*1/2cup of cream, crispy bacon and thyme.
*a220g can of tomatoes for another change of flavour.
*asplash of fish sauce, a tablespoon of red curry paste, fresh coriander and basil and 1/2 cup of coconut cream for an Asian style soup.