Pumpkin & Ginger soup.

So my mum had this big pumpkin sitting on her kitchen table. She wasn't sure what the best way to cut it up.

"Throw it on the concrete & shatter it" she said.

"Messy" I thought.

"Use the log splitter" she said.

"Not very hygienic" I thought. "I'll just cut it" I said.

"You'll loose a finger if it slips" she said.

"Typical mother" I thought....

A bit of rummaging in her kitchen drawers produced a Chinese cleaver, heavy, strong, & sharp.

Setting the big Queensland Blue pumpkin (about 20kg) on the concrete outside, for stability, I then pushed the cleaver through the pumpkin, required a bit of effort & weight on the cleaver to force it through, but eventually I ended up with 4 pieces, & no lost fingers. Now what to do with this hunk of pumpkin that I've acquired (thanks mum).

Well it was the first cold spell of the season therefore a nice soup was in order, in this case pumpkin & ginger. I'm not going to give exact quantities for all the ingredients & the quantities listed here a a guide only, as its too variable & taste dependant.

Pumpkin & Ginger soup.

Ingredients:
Pumpkin (roughly diced)

Ginger (a decent large thumb sized knob, sliced or diced)

1 onion (diced)

1 tbls butter

2 small or 1 medium floury potato (roughly diced)

1 tbls ground cumin

1 tbls dried oregano

Stock

Salt

Pepper

Fresh coriander to finish

Method:
Gently fry the onions & half the ginger over a low heat until golden & soft.

Add the cumin & oregano & cook until fragrant

Add the pumpkin & potato & toss to coat in the onion/spice mix

Add enough stock to cover & add the remaining ginger

Bring to the boil & then reduce to a simmer.  Cook until the pumpkin & potatoes are soft & tender.

Use a blender or stick mixer to blend all the ingredients to a smooth consistency

If the soup seems a bit watery, let it simmer a bit longer till it has reached the consistency that appeals.
Season to taste & serve with a sprinkling of roughly chopped coriander.
Serves as many or as few as you wish...