Pumpkin soup

I would never make a pumpkin soup for vegetarians. Firstly because they get served this everywhere they go, secondly - and most importantly - because the version I grew up with has two kinds of meat in it. My mother doesn't understand soups that don't contain some kind of meat stock. I don't necessarily agree, but this version of pumpkin soup is so delicious that, in comparison, I find the vegetarian versions more like spicy purees than soup.

I like to use the butternut pumpkin for the flavour and because they tend to have a little more meat in them than other varieties. And if I'm going to spend time and energy trying to get all hard skin off a pumpkin and de-seeding it, there better be a lot of flesh!

Pumpkin soup

500g butternut pumpkin, skinned, de-seeded and cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
3 rashers bacon, rinds removed and chopped
250ml chicken stock or 1 stock cube
milk or cream (optional)

1. Place pumpkin in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil.
2. While the pumpkin is cooking, fry onion and bacon together until
the onion is brown.
3. Place the pumpkin, onion, bacon and either 250ml chicken stock
or 1 stock cube plus 250ml of pumpkin cooking liquid in a blender
and blend until smooth.
4. Test thickness of the soup - if you would prefer it thinner,
add either milk or the rest of the pumpkin cooking liquid to the
consistency desired
5. Season well with salt and pepper.