Best Hot Pumpkin Soup, with some Tasty Courgette and Carrot Muffins

It’s Winter...what is better for lunch on a bitterly cold day but
Hot Soup and Muffins straight from the oven

I have been making this Pumpkin Soup for years... got it out of the Triple Tested Cookbook
Of course I had to play with it a bit... using the ingredients I had in my kitchen
With a little curry and chopped bacon, it just really gives ordinary old Pumpkin Soup a lift

I like to use Buttercup Squash, a nice dry pumpkin, you don't have to peel it
the skin is really tasty and it’s very orange
But you could use butternut or any other pumpkin

This amount will serve 4 for a good hearty lunch
6 as a starter

500 gms squash cut in small chunks and seeds removed
Pop into micro wave for about 4 minutes to start cooking process
Or you can bring to boil in salted water and simmer about 10 minutes
You can then use that water as your stock

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 rashers bacon chopped
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 kumera, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water or stock

Add oil and bacon to a medium pot
Cook until bacon starts t crisp
Add onions
Season well with S & P and curry powder
Cook till translucent
Add chopped kumera
Stir well
Add the pumpkin which should have softened nicely in the microwave
Mix up so that all the vege are covered with the spice
Add a little more S &P
Cover with water or stock

Bring to boil
Simmer till all vege are soft
Into a blender
Whiz
Back into pot
If too thick add more water to your liking
Check for seasoning and adjust if needed


So this morning, I decided toast wasn’t good enough to have for this lunch
Some Courgette Muffins would be good
so I looked up a recipe on the net and found this one on netmums.com
The recipe is attributed to Nick Coffer,
Thank you Nick, this is a keeper

Absolutely delicious
What a good way to get vege into kids

Makes 10-12 muffins (dependent on the size of your muffin tins)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes


125g extra-mature grated cheddar cheese (worth
buying extra mature as it adds to the flavour)
225g self-raising flour (I used high grade flour with 1 heaped tsp of Baking powder
175ml milk
55ml olive oil
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

1 large carrot, grated
1 large courgette, grated

Note: make sure you squeeze out the courgettes and carrots to remove any excess liquid
Preheat your oven to 200ºC/ 400ºF/ Gas Mark 6

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, cheese, carrot, courgette.  
Add in the oil, milk and egg and
stir it all together to form a smooth, slightly gloopy batter.
Lightly grease the muffin tins with oil and spoon the mixture in evenly,
about 2/3 the way to the top of each tin.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes.
The muffins are ready when they are risen, golden on top and fairly dense to the touch. Leave them to cool for a few minutes before serving them warm.

They keep well in airtight containers and can be warmed through in the microwave for 15 seconds before eating.