German-style pumpkin and apple soup with speck

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Butternut squash250 g
• Apple0.5
• Potatoes80 g
• Onion40 g
• Speck30 g
• Cooked chickpeas80 g
• Vegetable broth450 ml
• Extra virgin olive oil6 g
• Pumpkin seeds8 g
• Ground ginger1 g
• Saltto taste

Contains: celery,

In season: September – December

Method

1. Peel the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds and cut it into cubes of about 2 cm; peel and core the apple and cut it into pieces; peel and dice the potatoes; chop the onion; rinse and drain the chickpeas. Heat the vegetable stock.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion with the ground ginger for 3–4 minutes, until translucent.
3. Add the squash, apple, potatoes, chickpeas and hot stock, bring to the boil and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, until the squash crushes with a fork.
4. Meanwhile cut the speck into thin strips and fry them in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until crisp; drain on kitchen paper. In the same pan toast the pumpkin seeds for a couple of minutes, until they start to pop.
5. Blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth and season with salt, bearing the speck in mind.
6. Pour the soup into a bowl and top with the crisp speck and toasted pumpkin seeds.