Farro, pumpkin and chestnut soup

Ingredients

Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4

• 100g peeled chestnuts, crumbled
• 1 white onion, peeled and diced
• 6 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 slick of celery, diced
• Salt and black pepper
  
• A few leaves of sage
  
• 600g pumpkin or butternut flesh, diced
• 1 small glass dry white wine
  
• 200g farro, polished and cracked

Method

If you are roasting them yourself, score the chestnuts across the curved side, put on a baking tray and bake at 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4 for 20 minutes, until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nuts have softened. Wrap the chestnuts in a tea towel for 10 minutes to steam, which makes them easier to peel, then peel and crumble them.

In a large heavy-based pan, warm the olive oil and fry the onion, celery and a pinch of salt until soft and translucent. Add the sage and pumpkin and stir, then add the white wine.

Add the farro, then cover with 1.5 litres of water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 35-40 minutes, adding the crumbled chestnuts in the last 15 minutes. The soup is ready when the pumpkin is tender and farro cooked, but still with a nutty bite. Add more salt and black pepper as needed.