I’m constantly aware now, that everything we eat needs to be nutrient dense for our own health and so this is my latest version of pumpkin soup. It is the traditional fats you include that make the many of the vitamins and minerals available to us so it is critical to use either coconut or palm oil, or olive oil, or lard of some sort, and also preferably bone broth as well.

    * Pumpkin Soup2 Tbsp lard
    * 4 cloves garlic Takahue, NZ purple or Rocombole, peeled and chopped fine, or any strong garlic
    * 3 Welsh bunching onions or 1 brown onion, chopped fine
    * 2 hot chili peppers to taste, chopped fine (alternatively chili oil or hot chili sauce)
    * 2 small or 1 large eggplant cubed (optional)
    * 1kg Crown pumpkin

Sauté all the ingredients except the pumpkin. Boil large pieces of Crown pumpkin in 2-3 cups of broth (duck, goose, pork, mutton, beef all work well).  When the pumpkin is cooked leave to cool a little then peel off the very thin layer of tough skin off the back of each piece of pumpkin. Mash the pumpkin into the broth, add water to give required consistency.

Add sauted mixture to pumpkin liquid, simmer 30 minutes, season with sea salt, black pepper.  Add cubes of panir* if you wish and simmer 5 more minutes.  Serve with finely chopped Dalmatian parsley or coriander on top.  Serve with sourdough rye or wholewheat bread and cultured butter! An extremely nourishing and satisfying meal after which you will not feel like anything sweet!

*Panir is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting cheese made by curdling heated milk with lemon juice or other food acid.

(This recipe was taken from Kay's Regular Update of 13th May 2008)