Pumpkin and bean soup with parsley pesto bread

A richly textured bowlful made with cannellini beans and orzo, with pesto that can be served like garlic bread or on toast.

If you don’t want to make the bread, just make the pesto and spoon some on to each serving of soup, or offer a bowl of it at the table. It’s a good idea to keep Parmesan rinds. They give such an intense umami flavour to soups. The soup itself, apart from the pumpkin, is pretty much a store-cupboard recipe (you can use carrots if you don’t have pumpkin).

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 40g parsley leaves
• 50g walnuts
• 25g pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 75g Parmesan, grated
• 150ml extra-virgin olive oil

For the soup and bread

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 leek
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 265g pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, cut into 2cm chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, grated to a purée
• 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 50g Parmesan rind (or less if you don't have much)
• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained
• 30g orzo
• 1 large baguette
• 50g butter
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. Make the pesto first so that it’s ready. Put everything except the extra-virgin olive oil in a food processor. Blend while gradually adding 150ml olive oil. Season and whizz again.
2. Remove the outer leaves of 1 leek and trim the top and the base (getting rid of the greenest coarse parts at the top). Slice into rounds about 3cm in length.
3. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil and add the leek, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped celery stick and 265g pumpkin (cut into 2cm chunks). Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, then add 2 grated garlic cloves and cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Add 1l chicken or vegetable stock, 2 tbsp tomato purée and 50g Parmesan rind. Bring up to the boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. The pumpkin should be soft.
5. Add 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans and 30g orzo and season.
6. Simmer for another 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Look for the Parmesan rind and scoop it out.
7. Making the parsley pesto bread is like making garlic bread. Heat the oven to 220C/210C fan/gas mark 7.
8. Cut 1 large baguette into slices without cutting right the way through. Set this on a piece of foil big enough to wrap around it.
9. Put 50g butter and some pesto in between the slices. Pull the foil up to cover.
10. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
11. Serve with the soup, scattered with 2 tbsp chopped parsley.