Chico Cream of Pumpkin soup

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
50g onion, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
300g (butternut)pumpkin, coarsely chopped
100g deboned chicken breast meat, diced
Pinch of salt and sugar
450ml stock
450ml water
100ml fresh whipping cream

Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pepper

Garnishing
Coriander leaves

Method
Marinate chicken with salt and sugar and set aside for 10 – 15 minutes. Put butter and oil in a saucepan and allow butter to melt over a gentle heat. Add garlic and onion; fry until soft. Stir in flour and pumpkin. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Put in chicken and fry for another 2 – 3 minutes. Pour in stock and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 15 – 20 minutes until chicken is tender and pumpkin turns soft. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

Turn out soup into a food processor. Blend or process the soup in batches until the mixture turns smooth or semi-smooth (if desired). Return the processed soup mixture into a clean saucepan.

Before serving, add in the fresh cream and stir soup over a medium heat until soup is hot. Add seasoning, then serve with a garnishing of coriander leaves. Serves four w/ garlic bread.