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#FOODIEFRIDAY

Rustic Pumpkin Soup

October is a month of mists and mellow fruitfulness and the shops are full of colourful pumpkins and squashes. This month’s recipe is a warming soup that could be made with the flesh of a Halloween pumpkin or you could use a gorgeous butternut squash instead, either is delicious. The lentils add fibre and protein, making this a healthy and hearty meal, while the chilli and cumin add warm, mellow flavours. Just what you need on a cold Autumn evening. Enjoy with some toasted pumpkin seeds, swirling in a little yogurt if you have any and serve with some rustic bread. Scrumptious! Serves 3 -4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed 1-2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 500g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 100g red split lentils, rinsed
  • Salt and pepper
  • Serve it with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, natural yogurt, and wholemeal seedy bread or a roll.

Method

  • Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  • Add the onion, garlic and chilli
  • Sauté, without browning, until soft
  • Sprinkle in the ground cumin and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring, turning the heat down if necessary
  • Add the stock, pumpkin or squash and lentils
  • Stir, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the lentils and pumpkin are tender
  • Blitz the soup with a stick blender (or in batches in a liquidiser) until the desired smoothness. I quite like it a bit lumpy!
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper. While the soup is cooking you could toast some pumpkin seeds. The easiest way is to heat a small frying pan, throw in the pumpkin seeds and let them sizzle. Keep stirring or they will burn. Once toasted, season with a little salt and cayenne pepper if you have any. Serve the soup in warmed bowls, swirl in the yogurt if using, followed by a sprinkling of the toasted pumpkin seeds.  Enjoy with the rustic bread! Pumpkin Soup FF   Melody x