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ROAST PUMPKIN AND HAM SOUP

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 - 2 kg picnic ham leg - bone in
  • 3/4 kent or 1 whole butternut pumpkin sweeter flavour
  • 2 leek
  • 2 parsnip
  • 4 small or 3 large carrots
  • 4 small potatoes
  • 2 onions 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup your choice of cream or milk
  • Pepita seeds and optional sour cream to serve.
  • Optional 100g crispy bacon cut into pieces.
  • olive oil

Equipment

  • Baking Tray
  • Slow cooker or stock pot
  • Stick Blender
  • Fry pan
  • Cutting Board and Knife

Method
 

  1. Roughly chop leek, onions, parsnip, and carrots. Add whole ham leg with chopped vegetables to a stock pot or slow cooker. Top with water, bay leaves, garlic, salt and chilli flakes.
  2. Allow pot to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 1 hour 45 min or until the meat falls easily off the bone.
  3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line baking tray and drizzle pumpkin with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 40 min. (optional cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds to reduce roasting time).
  4. Remove cooked ham from stock pot and shred the meet. (reserve bones for bone broth). Strain off about 1/3 to 1/2 stock mixture and save for your next soup recipe.
  5. Add roughly chopped potatoes, smoky paprika, and cinnamon to stock pot.
  6. Once pumpkin is cooked, remove seeds and peel and roughly chop before adding into the stock pot.
  7. Add in cream and use stick blender to puree soup.
  8. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
  9. Add in 2 cups shredded ham and optional bacon pieces.
  10. Serve topped with pepitas seeds and optional sour cream or natural greek yoghurt.
  11. Serve warm crusty sourdough on the side.

Notes

Save bones and vegetables scraps in your freezer to make bone broth.
For the vegetarian option omit meat and create a vegetable stock instead just up the veggies and add slightly more salt. I have used coconut cream and coconut sour cream for this soup to make it dairy free. It tasted delicious so don't be afraid to experiment with different cream varieties.
Ensure your ham is still a little chunky! This creates more texture in the soup making it more enjoyable to eat.
Cook soup in bulk to store in your freezer for those rainy day meals.
Reserve extra stock and extra ham in your freezer for your next soup recipe or meals.
ALWAYS taste your food and season accordingly. You will learn a lot about flavour by ensuring you tweak the seasoning every time!