Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Chilli Bites and Croutons

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1.5kg pumpkin (if butternut, slice in two halves down the middle or if kent, cut in large wedges)
20g butter
1 leek, trimmed, halved, washed and sliced
2 white potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 litre chicken stock
Whole nutmeg - around 1/4 finely grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
dollop of sour cream
Chives, freshly snipped
Sandwich bread slices x 7
Butter
Parmesan
Chilli flakes

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced.
2. Place pumpkin and garlic on lined baking tray. Add oil, salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 1-2hrs or until pumpkin is nicely roasted and caramelised. Let cool. Remove the garlic after 30minutes and squeeze from their skins. Let cool.
4. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until leek has softened.
5. Add potato. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
6. Add stock and 2 cups of cold water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15minutes or until potato is tender.
7. Stir in roasted pumpkin and garlic. Cook for 5minutes or until heated through.
8. Blend pumpkin in batches until smooth. Return to pan over low heat. Finely grate whole nutmeg to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pumpkin Chilli bites
1. Chop leftover pumpkin skin into bite sized pieces
2. Place on baking tray.
3. Pour some olive oil, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and ground nutmeg evenly over pumpkin pieces.
4. Roast in oven for approximately 45-60minutes or until crispy.

Croutons
1. Dice sandwich slices and place in large mixing bowl.
2. Melt 30g butter and drizzle over diced bread. Mix.
3. Drizzle olive oil and salt over diced bread. Mix well.
4. Lay flat on baking tray and sprinkle finely grated parmesan evenly over.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 30minutes.