Sir Lancelot's Pumpkin Soup

Why hello! Nice of you to peek in - do I have news for you! Yesterday, I went into the shop to buy some milk, I saw the pile of pumpkin's in the shop, and had one of those Lightbulb! moments, and yes....I came back out with a pumpkin in hand. Orange is my favourite colour, and pumpkins look amazing!

Not long after, I found myself carving away, putting the seeds away for drying them in the oven, I ended up with a small jarful, probably worth £3 in the shop itself.

Then, when Sir Lancelot was complete, I tried to search for recipes that I could use his flesh for. That might sound a little grotesque, but it is Halloween after all!

I decided to make two things, for surely one of them would end up tasting nice at the very least? I settled for a pumpkin and ginger tea bread recipe that I ended up tweaking a little too much, and it sort of fell apart. It tastes nice, don't get me wrong, but it's just a "tasty failure" projects. Life experience points to me anyway!

Then, I decided to try and make my own soup. I had so many bits and pieces of leftover vegetables, that I decided what the hey! And here it is, Sir Lancelot's Pumpkin Soup. I was going to call it Guinevere after his lover, but that would be cheesy! I don't know why I settled for Sir Lancelot, I've just always liked the name Lancelot...a lot! My puns are horrible...apologies!

Sir. Lancelot's Pumpkin Soup
(Serves 3-4, 213-160 calories each)

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 leek, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/3 bulb garlic, or 2-3 cloves
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
250-300 g pumpkin
A squeeze of lemon
Enough vegetable stock to almost cover the vegetables
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp dried chives
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp thyme
Pumpkin seeds to top with
Bread to serve

- Heat oil in a large saucepan, soften the leeks and garlic before adding the rest of the chopped vegetables as you chop them, adding the pumpkin last. Stir well and make sure everything is coated.

- Now, pour over the stock and mix in the spices. Cover the saucepan with a lid and leave it to simmer for about half an hour until the pumpkin is tender.

- With a stick blender, whizz the soup until it's got a smooth texture, season to taste should there be anything missing.

- Serve topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and a side of warm crusty bread on a cold evening, look at your newly carved pumpkin - Cool, isn't it? *smiles* Made me forget how cold it was outside, at least for a little while!

Original source:
Me!