Excellent pumpkin soup with the best Parmesan croutons

Ingredients:

Soup

• Olive oil
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• 2 red onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
• Half a fresh red chilli pepper, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 kg butternut squash, onion squash, or Mosque de Provence pumpkin, halved, seeded, and cut into pieces
• 2 liters of chicken or vegetable broth

Croutons

• 16 slices of ciabatta
• 1 piece of Parmesan cheese, for grating

Preparation:

1. Place a very large saucepan over medium heat and pour in the olive oil.
2. Add the sage leaves and sauté for about 30 seconds, or until dark green and crisp. Quickly transfer them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined bowl. You'll use the leaves for topping later. You'll have some aromatic oil left in the pan, so return it to the heat and add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chili pepper, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are sweet and tender. Add the pumpkin and broth to the pan, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. While the soup is simmering, prepare the croutons. Drizzle ciabatta slices with olive oil and press grated Parmesan cheese on each side. Place in a nonstick frying pan without adding oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
4. Once the pumpkin is soft and cooked through, puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer it to a standard blender until smooth (or, if desired, leave it with some chunks). Most importantly, don't forget to taste the soup and add salt to ensure perfection. Ladle the soup into bowls, topping each with 2 croutons. Sprinkle with crisp sage leaves and drizzle with olive oil.