Saturday, May 19, 2012

And the week flew by....

This week passed by as they do with highlights and low moments but at the end of it I feel a deep sense if fulfilment in my home. Let's start outdoors shall we?

Shade spreads over a 3rd of our growing area in winter.
Peas spiralling up the spiral.
Asparagus which will be cut back this week and mulched now that its turning brown.
A new way to do soldiers for dippy eggs...so delicious.
A cleaned countertop with my current favourite cookbook. Superman moved a small hi-fi into the kitchen for me so I can play my music off my iPhone while I cook.
Lavender picked in a friend's garden, drying, to be used in soap making tomorrow.
Last pumpkins from summer harvest used in a delicious soup.

Citrus and honey roast pumpkin soup:
I had one large and one small ghostrider pumpkin left from our harvest and used it this week to make a delicious soup with my homemade chicken stock. Slice the pumpkins into wedges and remove seeds.

Melt enough butter for basting and add to it zest of one orange, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 2 tablespoons of honey and then brush over pumpkin pieces. Roast these at a high temperature until soft.

In the meantime, melt some butter in a pan and fry two chopped onions and if you have some sweet potato.

Add 1 liter of chicken or beef stock and simmer slowly until pumpkin is cooked.

When the pumpkin is cooked, remove the skin and add to the stock.

Use a stick blender to smooth. Add 250ml cream and mix well. Serve with croutons or whatever you wish.

5 comments:

Lois Evensen said...

The asparagus wrapped in bacon looks delish! The lavender looks lovely. I hope I get a good crop of lavender this year to make crocheted sachets. They sell out of my Etsy shop every year. One of the things that make them pretty special is that I grow and dry the lavender myself.

Cath said...

More than usual, this post made me feel as if I was popping in for a quick visit for tea. I think it must be your kitchen counter pic. xxx

africanaussie said...

I now always roast pumpkin before making soup - it adds a lovely depth of flavor.

Monika said...

Wow lavender soap. Do you have a favorite recipe? This will be the first year we will be home when my lavender blooms. I would like to take advantage of it! Can you share?

Urban Homestead South Africa said...

Hi Monika I will put the recipe up this weekend. I wish we had more lavender at home but we only have 3 plants in flower.