Winter is getting nearer!  It was even cool enough to have the quilt on the other night, and it has been raining and windy so I thought I might make some comfort food for lunch! Oh, I am such creature of habit!

What You Need:

• 1/2 medium pumpkin
• 1 large leek
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• salt
• pepper

What You Need To Do:

Slice the leek in half, lengthways, and give it a rinse because sometimes there is dirt trapped between the layers at the base of the dark green leaves as they turn into the white fleshy part.  If you don’t have a leek you can use onion instead, but leek gives it a bit more of a peppery kick.

Thinly slice the leek and gently fry it in the butter.  You don’t want to colour the leek too much, or burn the butter, so just have it on a low heat.  Meanwhile, cut the pumpkin into smallish cubes and make sure to remove the skin.

When the leek has wilted down and is nice and soft, add the curry powder and season with salt and pepper.  Cook the curry powder, just for a minute, to get rid of the raw taste.  I have said 1 teaspoon of curry powder but you can add more or less depending on how you like it.  It imparts a peppery flavour rather than a real curry hit so don’t leave it out altogether, just adjust it to your liking!

Add the pumpkin pieces and pour in the stock.  Give it a good stir so the pumpkin and leek don’t stick to the bottom.  Let the pumpkin simmer away until it is really soft and you can mash it with spoon.  You may need to add more stock as it cooks, depending on what type of pumpkin you use.  I used Jap pumpkin for this recipe and they are quite watery.  Something like a Queensland Blue or a Butternut are a bit drier so might need a bit more liquid.  Plus I like the soup to be thick and creamy in consistency, not watery and thin.

When the pumpkin is cooked use a stick mixer to blend all the lumps out.  Add the cream and give a good mix.  It probably will need some more salt and pepper, so have a taste, and add it if needed.

White bread is a bit of a treat in our house so, today I buttered some slices and cut the crusts off and they were perfect for dipping!  How yummy is that!

Now that I have still got half a pumpkin left I was looking for something different I could do with it. Zo over at Twospoons has this great recipe for a Pumpkin and Cauliflower Wrap. You should see the photo, all gloriously golden pastry and oozing with melted cheese. This is my type of recipe! I think it might be something I could make, pretty soon, and my family will love it.

You know when winter is getting closer when the butcher starts displaying nice, big, fat, smoked bacon hocks.  They just cry out to be made into pea and ham soup.  But not just that green stuff you get out of a can, but thick, rich, chunky vegetable and yellow split pea soup.  I love it with lots of bread and butter.  It is really easy to make, and the best part is you only have one pot to wash up!

What you need:

• Large bacon hock
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 potatoes
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 zucchini
• 1 onion
• 1 1/2 cups yellow split peas
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 can chick peas
• fresh parsley
• vegetable stock
• water

What you need to do:

Boil the bacon hock, in enough water to cover, for about 1 hour (depending on the size)  or until the fat layer pulls away from the meat easily. The meat underneath will be nice and soft and tender.  You might need to keep topping up the water so it doesn’t boil dry!  Set the meat aside until it is cool enough to handle.

Keep the liquid boiling and add the lentils and the yellow peas.  You can add green split peas as well, if you have some, I just didn’t have any today! Let these cook for a few minutes, about ten or so, until you see the peas start losing their hard edges. You may need to add some more liquid ( vegetable stock is good) at this point if it is starting to be soaked up by the peas.

Meanwhile, chop all the veges, and any others you might have lurking in the fridge, and put them in the pot  with the lentils and peas.  I like the soup chunky so I cut them into big pieces as they so cook down a little but if you like it smoother make them smaller, its up to you.  Bring this to the boil.  You can keep adding the stock, bit by bit, if it looks too dry.

Now is the fun part!  Take the bacon hock and peel back the outer layer of fat.  Underneath, you will find the yummy, meaty part. Pull all of this meat from the bone and put it in the pot of boiling veges.  I’m a bit fussy and I make sure there are no yucky looking bits or extra fatty bits before I put it in the soup.  Sometimes you might get a little bit of bone in the meat too so I make sure there isn’t any either.

Now turn the heat down and let simmer for about another 1/2 hour or so until the veges are tender.  When the veges are how you like them, add the can of chick peas.  You just need to warm these through as they are already cooked and you don’t want them too mushy!  I also add finely chopped parsley and salt and pepper at this point and then turn the heat off.

Cut up some of your favourite bread, toast it or leave it fresh, and start dipping!!