first day of summer....

and naturally my mind turns to..... pumpkin soup and these knitted mitts!

Obviously something rather amiss in the wiring of my brain...not sure why but I can't get enough of this pumpkin soup spiced with ginger and coriander. Possibly because its so simple and definitely because it tastes so good with a big piece of toasted sour dough!

And for all of those in cooler climates ( or with an out of season brain like mine) here's the recipe...

Sort of Summer pumpkin soup

Peel and chop up a whole pumpkin removing and discarding seeds.(You can use a half if that's all you have or need but it never lasts long in my house so I always make a big batch!).

Place in a big saucepan and add enough stock ( I use vegetable but you can use chicken instead) to barely cover the pieces. Homemade is great but the good quality tetra pack stuff works just as well .

Add some slices of peeled fresh ginger - this is to taste and as a guide I use  about a 2cm knob of ginger for a medium size pumpkin). Sometimes more if I need a good hit of ginger.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until pumpkin pieces are tender.

Optional bit: Remove and reserve  some of the stock - 1/2 to 1 cup

then ( and this is not optional or else you will just have lumps of boiled pumpkin instead of soup!) puree the rest of the stock,pumpkin and ginger until smooth.Use some of the reserved stock if the soup is too thick for your liking ( it really depends on the type of pumpkin you use as some varieties are more watery than others. I guess it also depends on how thick/thin you like your soup!)

Season to taste  and add a good handful of coarsely chopped coriander (cilantro). Taste and add more coriander if needed.I always need more.

I sprinkle the sourdough with olive oil (so good for you !) and use a flat toaster - be warned one piece is never enough!

enjoy!

Enough of the domestic goddess for now - here's a pattern from a vintage crochet book I picked up recently. I thought immediately of this lovely lady who is currently working through her obsession with granny squares ( someone should tell her that you never really get over it!...). If you want the pattern, Alex just let me know....

And here's the back cover feature...

Actually, I am very tempted to give this a try...I think it would be great with jeans ( but I'd probably be ditching the snood!)

Another flower coming up tomorrow to add to the crochet collection!

Comments

[Alex]

Oh, Marianne, that's really tempting. That granny cardigan has style... my style??? Had to work on my make up, that's for sure ;-)

Thanks for that recipe, I'll try tomorrow, have pumpkin and ginger at home but never ate them together!

Good luck for solving that bikini/mitts problem... beautiful mitts indeed!

[Tiel S-K]

yum, I love pumpkin soup anytime of the year. My husband doesn't like it so much and he is away for a few days...so guess what I am making tomorrow?? I have used ginger and coriander before and it tastes sooo good.

thanks

[Amy B]

I would love the pattern for that little pink dress.

[email protected]

Thanks!

[Janet Hook]

Hi, I love your blog thanks for sharing inspirational ideas. I also love vintage patterns for both sewing and knitting. Would you consider to share the pattern for the pink crochet coat with me? I would love to try that one in black, I agree it would look great with jeans and ballet slippers.
By the way, I think you are quite interested in Japanese items? Why not have a look at www.ichiroya.com, they are an online store selling vintage kimono etc. I buy vintage fabric from them for sewing....
My email is [email protected]