Various slices of life come in different ways and sometimes all on the same day. Cooking from scratch and nourishing my body with fresh produce cooked to celebrate its goodness is always a welcome treat, especially at the end of the day. Cooking is a masterful ritual where I truly unwind at the end of the day.
I do, however, need it to be quick. I am grateful for pre chopped vegetables such as pumpkin and butternut that come prepared in perfect portions at the greengrocer, because it means no waste. Also, soups are such a great way to cook up the things that have seen their heyday in the fridge.
This pumpkin soup is a real winner and I have a particular soup palate. Texture, flavour and heat all have to combine for me. One of the only soups I have enjoyed was years ago while staying at Majeka House in Stellenbosch. I sat fireside and ate a curried butternut soup, which may have changed my outlook on butternut soup a little.
For Food Sake
Come quickly, I’m eating sunset
This pumpkin soup is a winner and delivers on ease and ingredient availability
Image: 123rf.com
I never liked soup. When my dear friend Bailey was writing up a list of things I do not eat when we first met, soup was up there right next to cheese. However, while she has made a soup lover of me, I still leave cheese to the professionals.
Texture is a big thing for me when it comes to soup. I love salads for their great balance of texture, crunch mixed with a softness of avo and the char of a griddled baby marrow, but blandness in texture and flavour is hard to bear.
On my yoga teacher training four years ago, we did a module that discussed nutrition and how some foods can be grounding. Root vegetables were generally in this category and the tubers and some above ground vegetables like pumpkins and squashes. I often turn to the comfort of a roasted sweet potato at the end of the day or sometimes to start my day which is something I read is considered beneficial in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
Try a new cooking skill and surprise yourself
Various slices of life come in different ways and sometimes all on the same day. Cooking from scratch and nourishing my body with fresh produce cooked to celebrate its goodness is always a welcome treat, especially at the end of the day. Cooking is a masterful ritual where I truly unwind at the end of the day.
I do, however, need it to be quick. I am grateful for pre chopped vegetables such as pumpkin and butternut that come prepared in perfect portions at the greengrocer, because it means no waste. Also, soups are such a great way to cook up the things that have seen their heyday in the fridge.
This pumpkin soup is a real winner and I have a particular soup palate. Texture, flavour and heat all have to combine for me. One of the only soups I have enjoyed was years ago while staying at Majeka House in Stellenbosch. I sat fireside and ate a curried butternut soup, which may have changed my outlook on butternut soup a little.
Image: Tshepo Mathabathe
This soup delivers on ease and ingredient availability. Inspired by one of my favourite Australian home chefs, Ashley of Gather & Feast, it can be made after work and you will high five yourself when you taste it.
I tweaked it a little for my own tastes and to add a little more heat, but when you ladle it into your bowl or take your first warm spoon full, you’ll feel that deep warm, nourishment and really want to shout, “come quickly, I’m eating sunset”.
Ingredients for spicy pumpkin soup
Method:
Ladle lovingly into your most prized bowls. Sprinkle some toasted pumpkin seeds on top for added crunch and enjoy the soothing taste of sunset in your stomach.
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