Pumpkin and chestnut soup

Good Housekeeping, Christmas 2008. Serves 8. 12 steps

900g pumpkin flesh	roughly chopped	Place in an ovenproof pot, bring to boil on stove, cook in oven 2.5 hours or until vegetables are very soft. Cool.		Purée and season to taste	Reheat the soup, and serve it topped with a slice of chestnut butter
1 large Spanish onion	roughly chop
4 cloves garlic	peel
175g cooked chestnuts
1.4 litres vegetable stock
1 orange's juice
salt and pepper
Chestnut butter
25g chestnuts	Dry-fry until golden; cool; chop finely		Pound together; cover and chill until firm
1 orange's zest
50g butter	softened
1 teaspoon red chilli	deseed and finely chop
1 tablespoon chives	finely chopped

The soup may be frozen

I was worried that the soup needed extra body, so I left it overnight with a square of kombu, and I served it with grated cheese.

If you use mushrooms in the vegetable stock, the soup will taste good but the colour will be unappealling.