Pumpkin Soup

I love pumpkin soup, and most weeks I buy a whole pumpkin from the farmers' market to make it with. I tend to slow roast my chopped (unpeeled) pumpkin for an hour or 2 before transferring it to a pot with some stock. I find that roasting it brings out its natural sweetness, and gives the soup a really full flavour. Also, roasting the pumpkin this way allows me to make use of the skin in my soup, which is full of nutrients and fibre.

This week's pumpkin is a hybrid - it is a cross between a butternut and a kent pumpkin, and it it beautiful! So, give it a good wash with cool running water, then chop coarsely, drizzle with olive oil and put onto a tray to bake at about 180C till soft and caramelised slightly.

This week I also am experimenting with adding spouted soup mix to my soup... why? Normally I add a variation of dried legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans, but this week I wanted to sprout them first. When a seed begins to sprout, it is a richer source of protein for the young shoot to grow from, and so I thought this would translate nicely to a protein-rich pumpkin soup.

I got a small bag of soup mix and a sprouting bag from the health food store, and it took 2-3 days for them to sprout.

So, to get started... roast your pumpkin. When that's almost done, peel and chop a couple of onions and some garlic. Fry them in a little olive oil until they become translucent.

Add your pumpkin and sprouts, and enough water or stock to cover the contents of the pot. Bring to the biol and then lower the heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Season to taste, or add fresh herbs for extra flavour. Fresh thyme works really well.

I like to blend my soup with a stick blender, but that is up to you. I also like to add a can of drained and rinsed beans or chickpeas at the end, for a little added texture and fibre.

Enjoy!