EQUIPMENT:
- A very large pot
- a blender – a hand-held one is brilliant for this
INGREDIENTS:
- the diced meat of a whole pumpkin (a medium sized one)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- a good sized finger of ginger , grated
- 2 large red chilies ( the mild ones) deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 2 pints of hot chicken stock
- A tin of coconut milk
- salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in the pot, add the onions, ginger and chilies, and cook over a medium heat, until soft but not browned.
- add the garlic and the pumpkin meat, and stir in well, allow to cook gently for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock
- reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 30 mins until the pumpkin is tender
- Remove from the heat and blend until the soup is completely smooth.
- Add the coconut milk and blend again
- Check the seasoning, and serve, garnished with a little fresh coriander if you have it, or a big smile if you don’t!
The soup can be successfully blended and frozen before adding the coconut milk. Just add the coconut milk when it is heating through after defrosting. I like to serve toasted pitta bread with this; just toast the pitta, and slice it diagonally into fingers.
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx