Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Guanciale

SOUP INGREDIENTS

½ large peeled pumpkin cut into 10 cm chunks (Kent, Jarrahdale or a whole butternut)
1 large brown onion, quartered with skin on
4 garlic cloves skin on (or more if you wish!)
1 tbsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp Keens curry powder
1 tbsp salt
HEAPS of Pepper (crack for a minute then keep going)
Olive oil
200g guanciale cut into small batons (I get mine from Emilio’s)
2 anchovies
1 litre water or stock
Light soy sauce to taste, maybe ¼ cup ish, maybe more, maybe less (especially if you’re using salted stock). Taste!

TO FINISH

Pangrattato - toasted breadcrumbs with olive oil salt and fennel seeds.
Crème frachie, sour cream etc
Green sauce - mine was leftover from a previous meal - blitzed parsley, garlic, capers, anchovies, balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Chilli flakes

MAKE IT

Set your oven to 200˚C fan-forced and toss together the pumpkin, onion, garlic, chilli, curry powder, pepper, salt and a goooood glug of olive oil. Roast it in the oven for 45-60 minutes till the pumpkin is soft in the middle and getting brown-black around the edges (flavour!).

While your pumpkins are roasting, place a large pot with the guanciale on the stove (no oil). Starting from cold, bring the heat up slowly to low-medium letting the pieces slowly render their fat and get extremely crisp. After 15-ish mins you’ll end up with lovely golden bits and a lot of very flavourful rendered fat. Drain the guanciale on a paper towel and save for your topping at the end. Add the anchovies and mash up with a wooden spoon, then pour in the water or stock and bring to a simmer. Once your pumpkin is ready add it to the pot, add the onions (take off the skin) and squeeze out the roasted garlic from its shell. Bring it all to a simmer then blitz with a stick blender. Season to taste with light soy sauce and extra pepper.

Top with a swirl of créme fraîche, sprinkle of pangrattato, chilli flakes, your crisp guanciale pieces and a few dollops of green sauce.