21 November 2013
As I am sure you will have realised by now, I am what is euphemistically referred to as time-poor. Another way of putting it is that I’m a working mum juggling a million and one things. And yet I have always been 100% committed to home cooking for the family however busy I am. If you follow me on Facebook then you’ll know exactly what my secret is! Anyway, what I am trying to say is that cooking needs to be tasty, healthy and time-efficient and that’s exactly what this is.
I am giving you the plain version of this soup but you could give it a Moroccan twist by adding cumin seeds, a couple of cinnamon sticks and freshly chopped coriander to garnish. Or perhaps a touch of Thai by adding grated ginger, garlic and some Thai red curry paste and coconut milk? How about a hint of India by using your favourite curry paste and garnishing with black onion seeds? With a bit of imagination the options are endless!
Put the whole pumpkin in the oven at around 180ºC and cook until a skewer passes effortlessly through it.
Whizz the cleaned leeks in a food processor so that they are finely sliced. Try and retain as much of the green part of the leek as possible – it’s good for you.
Place the leeks and red split lentils in a huge saucepan – remember that you want this to last the working week - and add lots of boiling water. Cover and simmer until everything is perfectly tender.
Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Now scoop out the baked flesh and add it to your pot of leeks and lentils.
Add salt and pepper to taste and then whizz to a smooth consistency with a handheld blender.
See what you think of the soup when it is plain with no added spices and then next time you can start playing around and trying some of my ideas.