Pumpkin soup with bacon

This soup is very simple, although it may take some time. I use butternut squash, but it can be replaced with other types of pumpkin as well. I like to save on the pumpkin seeds and roast them and then use as a topping partly for a little taste, but mostly to get a little different texture.

What makes this soup extra good is that I use a homemade broth. It is absolutely not difficult, but it requires preparation a little earlier. I take care of much of what is left over when I cook and save the leftovers in the freezer. When the freezer is filled with various leftovers (grilled chicken carcass, odd pieces of vegetables and more) I take a 5-liter pot and throw in what I have, fill it with water and let everything boil for an hour. Then I strain the broth and let it cool and then freeze it in 500g packages that I can pick out when a recipe requires broth. In this way, I take care of various leftovers and get a very tasty broth that is completely free of additives. The taste may differ a little from time to time, but that is only positive. Some things I usually bring are various bones from chicken, vegetables such as carrots, onions, chili, garlic and ginger as well as spices from my pots that I did not have time to eat when they were at their freshest. It may sound a bit cumbersome, but the end result will be really good. If you do not want to do this, it is easy to replace with 2 bouillon cubes and a liter of water.

I think that apple sweetness in the soup, bacon and thyme fits really well, but if you do not want bacon, you can simply exclude it - it will be a good soup anyway.

I reckon that you cut off about 200-300 grams of peel from a butternut squash as 1kg as it is stated in the recipe refers to the useful part of the pumpkin. So you should buy a pumpkin that weighs a little more then. It does not have to be completely accurate - a little variation does not hurt.

When I eat this soup as a main course, I reckon that it is enough for about 4 servings. If you use it as an appetizer in smaller bowls, it is easily enough for 8 instead.

• Use other types of pumpkin such as Muscat.
• Replace the homemade broth with 2 bouillon cubes and one liter of water. Then possibly use less salt as I start from my homemade broth that is completely salt-free.
• Exclude bacon to make the soup vegetarian.
• Top the soup with some parmesan cheese or other aged cheese.
• Add a chili, some hot sauce or sambal oelek for some heat.
• A little ginger in the soup will be delicious. Grate fresh ginger and let it boil with the rest of the ingredients.
• Replace sour cream with coconut milk. The soup gets a different taste, but its worth a try.
• Its good to have some more bread. Feel free to try serving with foccacia.
• You can buy roasted pumpkin seeds in the store if you do not want to roast yourself.