One of my favourite comfort meals for cold winter/fall evenings is a big bowl of pumpkin and lentil soup. I'm generally not a huge fan of soup but this one is one of very very few exceptions. Do with that information what you will, but I really hope you give this one a go!
Ingredients: (serves 2-3 people)
500g pumpkin of choice (I used butternut squash)
150g dried red lentils
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1 cube of vegetable stock
1 litre water
a pinch of chili (optional)
salt and pepper
Method: Peel and chop your pumpkin into cubes. (At this stage you can choose to rinse the pumpkin seeds clean, season with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for a few minutes at 200C for garnish.)
Chop garlic and ginger. Add garlic, ginger, olive oil, coriander, turmeric, chili and cumin to a pot and cook until fragrant. Add the cubed pumpkin and stir to coat the pumpkin. Cook for another couple of minutes. Crumble in a cube of vegetable stock and add the water. Bring to a boil while stirring. Rinse your lentils and add to the pot. Leave to simmer for at least 20 minutes or until some of the water has evaporated, lentils are cooked and your pumpkin is super tender.
Add the soup to a high speed blender or use an immersion blender to blend the soup until completely smooth. You might need to blend it two-three batches if you have a small blender. If you like your soup a bit thicker feel free to add it back into the pot and simmer for a few more minutes until it reaches your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with (vegan) buttered bread/bread rolls, some roasted pumpkin seeds if you wish, fresh coriander and a drizzle of olive oil.
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