Pumpkin Soup

Getting ready for winter, Pauls bringing his vegetables up as there ready, I'm cooking what he brings but started doing my winter soups.

A large pumpkin,

Cut into half and scrape out the seeds, 

Cut into wedges then peel

This next photo shows the pumpkin in a pan to boil with chicken stock with garlic, onion and curry powder, but after I did this I decided to roast the rest, gave a much nicer flavour.

The seeds were washed and dried, I'm going to save some for planting next year, the rest I will roast to eat later.

Once the pumpkins were roasted I put the pumpkin I boiled with chicken stock and the roasted pumpkin in my blender.

I bagged up a lot of the puree and put the bags in the freezer, 

Then used the left over chicken stock to thin the puree I had left into a lovely soup.

Serve with ground black pepper and crunchy bread

Pauls Green Bean soup

I'm getting my winter soups ready; Pauls grown loads of beans but some have been a little "woody", so rather than boil and eat Paul made a soup.

Trim and dice the beans, put them on to boil.

Slice up a couple of leeks

I used a small ammount of yellow courgette last night so Paul peeled and diced the left overs and roasted them.

Paul fried the leeks

Bacon bits

and the roasted courgette, with a good spoonfull of paprika and parsley.

And blended, using a little of the chicken stock I had left over from my pumpkin soup.

Its a bit thick, but I will bag and freeze it, when I use it on a cold January evening I will adjust it then.

Pauls Feta and Aubergine tart

Mix 200ml of yoghurt and 200gms of feta chesse together with a good sprinkle of thyme.

Roll the edges of puff pastry (Paul put emmenthal chesse round the edges before rolling the pastry giving a cheesy crust)

Put the cheese yoghurt mix into what is now a pastry case and arrange the sliced aubergines on top, drissle with olive oil.

Bake at 200c till the pastry and aubergines are a golden brown.

While its still hot drissle with a spoonfull of honey.

Lovely hot or cold, but next time I think I will peel the aubergines.

Rosies Moutabal

Moutabal is an Armenian dish using aubergines, versions of this dish are found all over the world and is used by the Spanish in tapas, in Turkey it includes Tomatoes and grren peppers the Bulgarians add red peppers, but the recipe here is my take on the Armenian one.

First you need to make Tahhini paste.

 Grind down a good hand full of Sesame seeds.

Add sesame seed or olive oil and salt then make into a paste with warm water, thats the paste made.

Pierce the Aubergines and toast over a flame, about 5 mins, what you want is a slightly burned aubergine, to give you a smokey flavour.

Then bake them in the oven till they are soft, 

If you have a Noddy plate next to the oven use that but its not essential. 

When they have cooled, peel them.

Blend the peeled aubergines, the Tahini paste, 2 crushed garlic cloves, the juice of a lemon and some olive oil till you get a smooth(ish) paste.

Gorgeous spread on toast or as a dip for bread sticks.