Come quickly, I’m eating sunset

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).

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.

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

1. 2 tablespoons of ghee or butter
2. 1 large red onion or brown onion finely chopped (I used red)
3. 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4. Half a thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5. 1 kg of chopped pumpkin
6. 4 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped
7. 1 medium sized red chilli, finely chopped with seeds
8. 1 sage leaf finely chopped
9. 1 tablespoon of smooth peanut butter (do not skip this unless allergic)
10. 1 litre of vegetable stock
11. 5 litres of boiling water
12. 1 teaspoon of turmeric
13. A pinch of white pepper
14. A pinch of nutmeg
15. ½ teaspoon of cumin
16. ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Method:

• Toast some pumpkin seeds in a hot, dry pan over medium heat until you hear them pop. Set aside for garnish.
• Heat the spices on medium heat for just under a minute until warmed through
• Add the ghee/butter in a large, deep pot over medium heat
• Add the onion. Let it go a little translucent then add the ginger, chilli and garlic
• Add the chopped pumpkin and carrots and sauté for about 7 minutes until they get a little colour on them
• Stir in the peanut butter to combine with the other ingredients.
• Pour in the veggie stock to deglaze the pot and to build on flavour
• Next add the boiling water and ensure that all vegetables are submerged
• Add salt and pepper
• Place the lid on and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring it through half way to check the softness of the veggies.
• Once veggies are tender, either use an immersion blender over the pot or ladle it into a blender in batches and blend until smooth
• Have a last little taste test and adjust salt and pepper accordingly,

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.