Orange, Thyme, and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 middle-sized onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 kg / 2.2 lbs of Hokkaido pumpkin (alternatively pie pumpkin), not peeled, roughly diced
• 1 l of vegetable or chicken broth, heated
• juice and zest of 1 orange
• 3 tablespoons of freshly plucked thyme leaves
• salt & pepper
• 150 ml of milk

Method

1. Heat up olive oil in a middle-sized soup pot and sauté the onions for 3 – 4 minutes. Add garlic and pumpkin. Cook for another 2 minutes while stirring.
2. Pour in hot broth, orange juice and zest along with 2 tablespoons of thyme. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
3. Purée the soup with a stick blender and season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir in milk and let simmer (don’t boil!) for another 3 – 4 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with remaining thyme. Ladle into preheated soup bowls and serve with crispy white bread.