ALWAYS make pumpkin soup with the smaller, non carving variety! I had stocked up on some honey crisp apples (for pies) and some sugar pie pumpkins and butternut squash for soups from www.indiangardenfarms.net

The pumpkin soup I made today nearly stopped me following through with our thanksgiving meal it was so delicious..

PS: Pumpkin soup WW2 Canada and USA.

Wartime Pumpkin Soup

• 2lbs pumpkin
• 1 onion
• 1 oz margarine
• salt and pepper
• milk
• 1 litre of vegetable stock

Method

Cut open pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy insides

Slice and chop into medium/large chunks

Place on baking tray and dot butter or marg over the top (if you had garlic in your cupboard you can add 1 or 2 whole cloves to roast on tray too)

Roast for 45 minutes or so, turning over once or twice (oven moderate/hot about 22o c )

Meanwhile chop onion, place 1 oz margarine into large saucepan and cook onions gently until soft

When pumpkin has roasted remove skin and place pumpkin pieces into saucepan (and cloves of garlic if available)

Add vegetable stock

Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally

Place all the contents of saucepan into a liquidizer (or rub through a sieve like they did in the old days!) and pulse until a thick puree is achieved

Put puree back into saucepan, add lots of salt and pepper to taste and reheat adding milk to achieve desired consistancy

(if you are wanting to store soup then put it into containers straight from the liquidizer. Just add seasoning and milk when you come to use it)

Makes about 8 bowls