Ingredients:
~1/4 Jap pumpkin
~1 whole garlic + 3 cloves
~1 brown onion
~1 whole chicken (preferably free-range & organic) - 1
bunch silverbeet or spinach
~1 tbsp fresh thyme
~1 parmesan rind
~1 tin chopped tomatoes
~1 tbsp tomato paste
~Pinch of chilli flakes
~2 cups of pasta of your choice
To serve: freshly chopped herbs (basil or parsley),
parmesan, pepper, chilli flakes.
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
1. Roughly chop pumpkin (removing any skin) and add in a single layer to a large baking tray along with 3 cloves of garlic (leave the skin on). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, remove garlic and roast for another 10-15 minutes until pumpkin is soft.
2. While the pumpkin is cooking, peel & chop brown onion in quarters and cut whole garlic in half (again, you can leave the skin on).
3. In a large pot over a medium to low heat, place the chicken, onion & garlic along with 2 litres of water and a large pinch of salt. Leave to simmer for 1-1.5 hrs, or until the chicken is tender. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool before removing meat from bones, roughly tearing into bite size pieces.
4. Sieve remaining stock over a large bowl and set aside, discarding onion & garlic In the same large pot, add a decent glug of olive oil and squeeze the roasted garlic from skins before adding tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, thyme, chilli and parmesan rind. Add stock & roasted pumpkin, seasoning with salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes.
5. Avoiding the parmesan rind blend soup with a stick blender, or decant into blender, carefully blitz and return to the pot.
6. Once blended, add chicken and pasta of your choice. Cook for a further 10 minutes, and add roughly chopped silverbeet or spinach. Continue cooking until greens have slightly wilted and pasta is al dente. Remove parmesan rind.
7. Serve with freshly chopped parsley, parmesan and black pepper or chilli flakes.
