pumpkin’s not for pie
I've been super lucky to be given two homegrown pumpkins in the last week. One Butternut and one Jap (or Kent). Both glorious.
The first was in exchange for a bag of new mandarins off one of our trees (don't you LOVE a barter?!) and the second was a gift from new friends (who feel just like old friends) who treated us to lunch on their verandah this weekend overlooking amazing green hills.
So pumpkin soup for dinner, and we'll roast the rest for pasta or risotto later this week. YUM.
(With homemade hummus and flatbread.)
PUMPKIN SOUP
Ingredients:
2 small leeks
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
approx half a Butternut pumpkin, peeled & chopped
approx a third of a Jap pumpkin, peeled & chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled & sliced
approx 1 litre of chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
Method:
Cook the leeks (trimmed, washed), the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent. Fry off the spices for a minute or two. Add the pumpkin and potato and cover with stock. Stir in the red lentils.
Cook for approx 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the red lentils have thoroughly cooked down (and disappeared.)
Blend with hand blender until smooth.
I got the idea for adding the red lentils from my mother in law – they're such perfect protein and no one would know they were there! Jen adds coconut milk to hers too, which is delicious.
Ivy will have the pumpkin soup with cous cous stirred through it tomorrow. She eats before the rest of us then snacks in her high chair while we eat.
Tonight it's peas.
This year I am planting pumpkins and peas. Two of my favourite veggies.
What are you eating?!
xxx
Charley of Secret Water
May 31, 2011 at 9:50 pmI’ve actually been eating pumpkin soup..eventually…after melting the stab mixer into the first batch by being impatient and accidentally leaving the pumpkins in the shop for the second batch (only realising after commencing leek and garlic frying). Also enjoying mixed roasted veg with olive oil, s&P and hummous. Roasted veggies made a great baby food mashed up or as a dip…although J2 now eating whole. I love winter food.
green ink
May 31, 2011 at 10:23 pmI am about to have lunch, which is leftover pasta – spinach, roast tomato, lemon, pesto thingy. On Sunday night before our 10k race the next day, me and hubby carb loaded with a lovely simple risotto, it was so yummy. And last night I made asaparagus, caper and garlic pizza.
All the while, my sourdough starter has been sitting in the corner of the kitchen, watching all this go on! Its turn will come tonight!
Pumpkin soup always makes me think of home 🙂 xx
Sarahb
May 31, 2011 at 10:44 pmThis looks delicious! I am always inspired by your posts although yet to pluck up courage to try the sour dough starter.
We have been recently eating curried sweet potato soup, sausage hot pot, apple crumble, frittata and salad, bacon and ricotta pasta and some good old fish fingers and noodles! Not all in the same meal, although that could have been interesting.
I love your photography Fi. Are you allowed to disclose what camera you are using?! xx
Gillian
June 1, 2011 at 7:51 amWe have a pumpkin waiting patiently to be used in a creamy pumpkin and chorizo pasta recipe I found in Delicious magazine a few years ago. It is really yum. And we will mush some of the pumpkin up for the baby too.
Darren (Green Change)
June 1, 2011 at 10:04 amYum, we’re big pumpkin soup lovers too. I like to roast the pumpkin pieces in the oven first, and then make soup from them. It gives a lovely, sweet, caramelised, roast pumpkin flavour to the end product.
Just like the old song, parsley/sage/rosemary/thyme makes a wonderful base for pumpkin (and many other!) soups.
Christie-Childhood 101
June 1, 2011 at 11:22 amWe have four pumpkins from our very own garden! (First time success growing pumpkins!!!) We are not really pumpkin soup eaters though and I would be interested to hear any other ideas you have for our pumpkins xx
Helena
June 1, 2011 at 8:48 pmIf I was trying to read this post (and these lovely comments) while hungry, I would have keeled over by now! Everything looks and sounds DELICIOUS, Fiona.
The cool thing about this post is, I know the people who fed you lunch! AND I’ve sat on their verandah, and looked at those same green hills. And your cook for the night was the same person who told me I had to read your blog. SO. That’s two degrees of separation for you 🙂
We had the world’s most ‘boring’ dinner, and yet it tasted so good! Because it was made with my son, and it was simple and all it tasted of was…what it was (if that makes any sense!). Scrambled eggs. Steamed broccoli. Baked beans. Toast with butter. Mmmm. Just right 🙂
Ally
June 1, 2011 at 9:20 pmYum, fabulous looking soup! I discovered the beauty of adding red lentils to pumpkin soup about a year ago and haven’t looked back!
We were excited tonight to have our first hearty cabbage soup of the season 🙂
Cheers,
Ally and Rich
http://www.happyearth.com.au
International Woman of Mystery
June 1, 2011 at 9:31 pmI love that idea of lentils in the pumpkin soup. Will definitely try as soon as I have access to pumpkins again. Here (in Germany) they are only around for the couple of months before Halloween. And people mostly buy them for decoration only. I love the photos of the kids feeding Ivy the peas. I like peas very much (and mine are just the frozen variety).
innerpickle
June 1, 2011 at 11:36 pmBusting to know how you get on with the sourdough – let me know!
innerpickle
June 1, 2011 at 11:37 pmhmmm, bacon and ricotta pasta! I use a Nikon D3000, not very well I might add. MUST learn to take it off auto sometime!!
innerpickle
June 1, 2011 at 11:40 pmI think that’s one degree! Nice to meet you Helena xx