Pumpkin Velvet Soup

What about a creamy soup without cream?  And what about a nice orange colour to enliven you mood in rainy weather? This recipe can be enriched with many different extras if you don't mind having more calories in your food.  



INGREDIENTS: 
Servings: 4

800g pumpkin
2 carrots
1 celery
1 small onion
1 big potato
salt
bay leaf
chilli to taste
EVO oil
  

1. Slice onion and  cut into pieces carrots and celery.  
2. Pour some EVO oil in a saucepan and brown the veges a bit.

3. Peel pumpkin and potato and cut them into medium cubes. 
4. Add pumpkin, potato, bay leaf and some chilli to taste to the browned veges and pour about 750-800 ml of vegetable broth (you may use water and veg stock).

5. Cook at a medium heat for about 40 minutes, to see if it's ready, try to smash with a fork a carrot piece, as it's the most hard to cook, it should be soft.  
6. Keep aside for a bit. Then smash everything with a blender.
Note: you may enrich the dish with some cream at this stage.
7. Add some salt if needed.

 8. If you had some pumpkin seed with it, you may roast them on aluminum foil in the oven, peel them and add to the dish as a decoration.  
  I also use a rosemary sprig for decoration and to add some more flavour to the dish. Enjoy!!!

  

Note: You may also add some bread croutons to the dish...