Pumpkin Soup

One of the best things about winter is the opportunity to indulge my love for homemade soup.  Pumpkin soup is one of my favourites.  It's so filling, delicious, healthy and cheap to make.

This is the recipe I usually make.  As always, any leftovers which need using up can generally be added, such as vegetables, pasta, meat and so on - soup is usually very forgiving!

Chop up pumpkin pieces, wash and cook in a large pot. Allow to cool. Take out pumpkin pieces with a slotted spoon and peel off skin. Retain the water the pumpkin cooked in. Put the now skin-less pumpkin pulp back in the water and mash with a potato masher.  Alternatively you can roast pumpkin in the oven, remove the skin and mash for the soup. 

I give the cold pumpkin skins to the hens who enjoy eating them.

Next roughly chop:

2 - 3 large onions
4 - 5 cloves of garlic
3 - 4 rashers of bacon or 2 - 3 ham steaks

Saute in a little olive oil or butter until brown and then add to the pumpkin pulp and pumpkin water. Bring to the boil.  You can just add them directly to the pumpkin and water mixture if you prefer.

Whilst bringing to the boil add chicken stock or use 1 or 2 chicken oxo or instant stock cubes and add more water as necessary.

Add salt, a good teaspoon - check at the end to see if a little more is needed if it is a large pot.

If desired add 1 to 2 heaped tsps of curry powder, according to taste.

Simmer until cooked (usually about an hour).

During the last 5 - 10 minutes you can add if desired:

Pasta (spirals are nice).

Black pepper.

Finely chopped silver beet.

Freshly squeezed juice of an orange.

Or turn off and add:

Sour cream (stirred through or served as a dollop on a bowl of soup when served)

Fresh cream

Below : Self sown pumpkins and potatoes grow out of the compost heap.