Roast pumpkin soup with chickpeas and leeks

This is a yummy, warming soup, the texture coming from the roast squash that is added as a course mash and then breaks up bringing body to the soup.  I like mine spicy but the chili can be toned down according to personal preference.  This soup gets better for hanging around for a day or two.

1 small pumpkin or butternut squash
4 tbsp olive oil, plus a bit extra for brushing
800 ml vegetable stock
4 small shallots (or two onions)-finely dices,
1/2 a medium fennel bulb, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 small birds eye or scotch bonnet chili-finely sliced and seeds discarded
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fennel seeds-finely ground
3 leeks well washed and thinly sliced
1 can of chickpeas-drained and rinsed
100ml dry white wine
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/gas mark 5
Cut the pumpkin or squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Brush the flesh with olive oil and place the halves, cut side down in an oven dish.  Pour in 200 ml of the stock and place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes.
In a saucepan heat the 4 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat, add the shallots and fennel and saute for 2 minutes, stirring.  Add the garlic, ginger, leeks, chili and spices.  Saute for 5 minutes more.  Add the chickpeas and white wine, then cover with baking parchment, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
When the pumpkin is tender, scoop out the flesh and chop it to get a coarse, lumpy mash.  Add this to the soup pan with the remaining stock.  Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

A lentil stuffed marrow:

I get asked about lentils a lot, I love them and find endless things to do with them.  When I was at school in England the kitchen always made me amazing stuffed vegetables and I guess unlike most school food this is one that has stuck!

This lentil filling works just as well with pumpkins.

Small brown or green lentil-puy work well-200g

A medium sized marrow-or pumpkin

Olive oil

Shallots-2 large, or an onion

Garlic-2 large cloves

Tomatoes-6 medium

Chili sauce-harissa or a smoky chipotle work well

2 handfuls of chard or spinach

grated parmesan-2 tablespoons-optional

Set the oven at 180 degrees or gas mark 4.  Bring a pan of water to the boil in which to cook the lentils.  Add them to the water and leave to simmer, until they are tender-soft rather than al dente.

Cut the marrow in half length ways but do not peel it.  Scoop out the core and put both halves into a roasting tin, then brush with olive oil and put in the preheated oven.  Leave the marrow until tender and translucent–about 20 minutes-then remove from the oven.

Meanwhile peel and slice the shallots and garlic and soften them in a saucepan with about 3 tbsp of olive oil.  Chop the tomatoes-if they have tough skins peel them by dunking them in into boiling water then peel off the skin, and add them to the pan.  Let them cook a while, till they are soft and mushy, the stir in our chili sauce, a teaspoon or two is enough for me!  The amounts depends on what chili sauce you have and how hot you want your lentils to be.   Pour in about a teacup of water, just enough to make a slushy sauce and be generous with the salt and black pepper.

Drain the cooked lentils, then stir them into the onion and chili sauce.  Tear the spinach or chard leaves into small pieces and stir them into the lentils.  Bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer on a low heat till the greens are silky soft.  Spoon the lentil mixture into the hollows in the marrow, scatter with the parmesan-if using-cover with foil and bake for twenty minutes.

A pan-cooked pumpkin with garlic

This is good on its own, with a yummy sharp green salad or as a side dish for cold meats.  It is a layered potato, pumpkin, thyme and garlic dish.

Potatoes-4 medium sized, floury or waxy it doesn’t matter

Pumpkin-600g

Duck fat or olive oil (I use olive oil!)-3 lightly heaped tablespoons

A few sprigs of thyme-or rosemary

A single clove of garlic, chopped

Peel the potatoes and pumpkin and slice them no thicker than a two-pound coin.  Melt the duck fat-or heat the olive oil, in a shallow non-stick pan, add the potato and pumpkin slices, neatly or higgledy-piggledy, season them with salt, black pepper, thyme or rosemary leaves and a little chopped garlic as you go.  Turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.  Let the slices cook for about 25-30 minutes.  As they start to soften, press them down with a spatula so they form a sort of ‘cake’ that will be golden underneath, with slices of potato that are soft right through.  You can check for tenderness by inserting a skewer right down through the centre.  If it goes in effortlessly then they are done.  Serve straight from the pan!