Velvet pumpkin soup with chestnuts and dumplings

Make a wonderful festive pumpkin soup for the cold winter nights, with a unique recipe by Dina Nikolaou, with "pasta" meatballs Knndel.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg pumpkin (net weight), in cubes
• 2 leeks, only the white part, finely chopped
• juice of 1 orange
• 100 ml of olive oil
• 400 gr. chestnuts (net weight), boiled and cleaned
• 700 gr. chicken broth * or water
• salt, freshly ground pepper
• For the Knedel * (approximately 32 pcs.)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon soup butter or oil
• 200 g bread crumb
• 200 ml fresh milk, lukewarm
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 150 gr. sausage (with leek or orange), without the film, finely chopped
• the leaves of 1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 2 - 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• about 1½ flitz. teaspoon flour for all uses
• salt, pepper to taste

Servings 6
Preparation 40΄
Cooking 45΄

Procedure:
Soup: Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat and sauté the leeks and pumpkin cubes, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper, add the orange juice and chicken broth and cook until the pumpkin is soft, about 35 minutes. In the last 10 minutes add the chestnuts. Remove and mash the soup either in the blender or in the pot with a hand blender. If it is not thick enough, boil it a little more. If it is very thick, dilute it with a little water and boil for 1-2 minutes. For a smoother result, strain it through a fine strainer.

Dumplings: At the same time, sauté the dried onion in butter in a non-stick pan until it softens and remove from the heat. In a bowl, soak the bread in the milk and add the sauteed onion and the rest of the ingredients, except the flour, and mix well. Gradually add the flour, kneading until it becomes a dough that will not stick to the hands. Shape small meatballs and boil them in a pot with plenty of water for 10 - 12 minutes, until they are firm and done.

Serve the soup in a bowl and put as many candles as you want in our portion.

Tips:
Knedel is a boiled, "pastry" meatball.
We also find pumpkin ready cleaned on trays in supermarkets.