Pumpkin and Sage Soup with Mascarpone

by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, featured in Good Cooking Every Day

Published by Plum, an imprint of Pan Macmillan Australia

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Introduction

If you see beautiful heirloom varieties of pumpkin in autumn, this is the recipe for them, particularly the Musquee de Provence variety. Its flesh is dense and a deep orange with a sweet flavour, almost with a scent of nutmeg. The result is a soup that is incredibly orange in colour and beautifully perfumed. While roasting the pumpkin is an extra step, I do think it is worth it. I don’t like to blitz the soup, but rather leave the pumpkin to cook down in the stock, which gives a rough yet pleasing consistency. Topped with crispy sage leaves, mascarpone and Parmigiano Reggiano, this soup is heavenly and a true celebration of the season.

As featured in

Good Cooking Every Day

Image of Julia Busuttil Nishimura's Pumpkin and Sage Soup — Photo by Armelle Habib

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

2 kilograms pumpkin (cut into 5–7 cm chunks)
120 millilitres extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
sea salt and black pepper
1 onion (roughly chopped)
2 carrots (roughly chopped)
2 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
small handful of sage leaves
1 litre light chicken stock
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

TO SERVE

mascarpone cheese
parmigiano reggiano cheese (finely grated)
grilled bread

Method

Pumpkin and Sage Soup with Mascarpone is a guest recipe by Julia Busuttil Nishimura so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Arrange the pumpkin on the tray and drizzle on 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season and roast for 1 hour, turning the pumpkin over halfway, until cooked through and beginning to caramelise. Scoop out the flesh, discard the skin, and set aside.
Meanwhile, warm another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion, carrot, garlic, two sage leaves and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 15–20 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft and beginning to colour.
Add the roasted pumpkin to the pan, along with the stock and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the soup is thick and fairly smooth.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the remaining sage leaves. Cook for around 2 minutes or until deep golden in colour and crisp. Drain on paper towel.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of mascarpone, a generous drizzle of extra olive oil, a scattering of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and the crispy sage leaves. Serve with the grilled bread generously doused in olive oil.