Pumpkin Week

All the Winter Squash & Pumpkins have been harvested, cured & brought in for storage overwinter. I say 'storage' what I actually mean is 'fill every available surface in the house, even if it means moving a few cats first'.
There are pumpkins piles on perilous perches, squashes stacked on spare shelves, curcubits clumsily cast... well, you get the idea. The spare bed is currently unavailable to guests (sorry folks, unless you're okay with sharing!)

So it must be Pumpkin Week!
Every year around All Hallows Eve I post pumpkin recipes, for the next week I'll be posting recipes for squashes & pumpkins (though you can still check out recipes from previous years by casting your gaze to the right & clicking on 'Pumpkins'). So lets start with something simple, a recipe from my Ma-in-Law that we never tire of eating.

Pumpkin & Coconut Soup
750g Squash or pumpkin (butternut works well), peeled & cut into chunks
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 red chillies, finely chopped
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
400ml can coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper
handful of fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a large pan & fry the onion until soft. Add the ginger, chillies & garlic & stir for a minute or so. Add the pumpkin & stock, stir & simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk & cook another 5 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. Add lime juice & whizz up in a blender. If it's too thick for you (I like thick soups!) add more vegetable stock or water. Season & stir in the coriander leaves, leaving a few for garnish.
Ma-in-Law also stirs in a cupful of cooked white rice, rice noodles or cellophane noodles after the soup has been blended, which gives a it a nice bit of texture. You could also top it with a drizzle of chilli sauce.


Om nom nom!