DELICA PUMPKIN SOUP WITH FARRO

INGREDIENTS

Delica Pumpkin — Oscar and Graciano, Mantua, Italy
Farro — Poggio del Farro, Tuscany, Italy
Cornish Potatoes — UK
Golden Onion — UK
Garlic – Spain
Celery
Chipotle Criollo Chillies — Gabino & Minerva, Sierra Veracruz, Mexico
Pimentón Picante — Extremadura, Spain
Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Tom & Juli, Kyparissia, Greece
Peeled Plum Tomatoes — Antonella, Sardinia, Italy
Rosemary — Daniotti, Lombardy, Italy
Sage — Daniotti, Lombardy, Italy
Natural Fine Sea Salt — Atlit, Israel

Working with fresh seasonal ingredients is complex. Weather conditions or other factors beyond our control mean that occasionally, we may have to top up our usual direct suppliers with market alternatives.

A grower whose unwavering commitment to flavour (over yield) results in pumpkins 30-50% sweeter than a melon.

A variety widely grown across northern Italy where the mineral-rich, clay soils left by the river Po produce exceptionally complex, dense fleshed pumpkins. Most local growers let the soil do the hard work for them.

Oscar pushes his plants to the next level, forgoing yield for flavour. By limiting water irrigation, Oscar ensures that his pumpkins grow slowly, taking on the nutrients, sugars and minerals available in the clay soil. Once mature, he begins the cure – the final step in developing unbeatable flavour.

For up to 30 days, Oscar stores the pumpkins in a wood-stove heated barn where their internal temperature reaches 18°C and they shed 30% of their water content. This is a time-consuming practice with a genuine risk of crop loss; the humid environment makes them susceptible to rot. Oscar’s continued commitment to curing the Delica is a testament to his pursuit of flavour over yield.