probably one of the best soups ever

Like a hug. That's what this soup is like, a warm and comforting hug on a cold November night. It's the perfect autumn soup - the rusty orange of the squash with the red lentils are like the colours of the leaves outside, and will brighten up the long chilly winter evenings. Spoonful after spoonful of heaven - thick, velvety, naturally sweet from the squash but with a nuttiness that comes from the lentils as well as a bit of spice from whatever you throw in. You have to make this soup.

You'll need

1 medium sized onion, chopped fairly finely
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1.5 lbs of butternut squash
1 medium potato
1 litre vegetable stock (preferably bouillon powder)
1-2 bay leaves
Olive oil
150-200g red lentils, depending on how thick you want it
A good tsp of cumin
Salt and pepper

Cut your squash into chunks, not too big, not too small. Don't worry about peeling the thing, but remember to remove all the seeds. Peel and cut your potato into similar sized pieces.
Roast the squash and potato in 2-3 tbsps of olive oil on a baking tray at 190 degrees celsius for 30 to 40 minutes. Give them a good toss now and then. When the squash is soft and turning a deep caramel orange, it's ready to come out. Leave the tray to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft.
When the squash and potato chunks are cool enough to handle, peel the squash.
Make up a litre of vegetable stock.
Add the squash, potato, lentils, stock, bay leaves and cumin to the saucepan. Season to taste (you won't need much salt) then bring to the boil. Let everything simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potato and lentils are soft and starting to break up a bit.
Turn off the heat and let the soup cool a little. Then transfer to a blender and blend until there's no lumps and the soup has a thick consistency. Don't overblend!
Transfer back to saucepan and reheat. Check the seasoning.
Serve, with a sprinkle of sage on the top if you want, and a hunk of good crusty bread.
Savour the first spoonful, enjoy that warm huggy feeling.

Because I was too busy enjoying it to take any photos, here's a soup-er rushed little illustration:

Delicious! x

I love Sundays #2

 

Cycling across the fields through the early morning autumnal mist, seeing the horses in their winter jackets

Going for a late afternoon walk before the light fades, picking the best looking leaves, admiring the newly wintered skyline

Shopping for wellies and wellie socks!

Sparklers outside, the evening air full of bonfire smoke and spice

Roast dinner, with brussel sprouts and roasted squash. Enough said.

Baking another fruit streusel pie to serve up and enjoy in front of Downton Abbey


(On Sundays it's ok to be like a granny.)

life drawing

On Monday evening I did some life drawing. It's something I've always wanted to do so I was pretty excited. Rumours of an old man posing with a cane were, thankfully, just rumours. We drew a woman instead. It's strange - even though you're concentrating so hard on the body in front of you, and looking at it so closely, you sort of forget about the nakedness. I like drawing the female form, but I did feel bad for the one guy in the class. I think he coped alright though.

We did a series of drawings in different amounts of time. Weirdly I found the quick sketches (2-5 mins) a lot easier than the longer ones (25 mins), maybe because there's less pressure to draw perfectly when you've only got a few minutes. Some of my work was absolute rubbish, but I keep reminding myself that a) it was my first time, b) I haven't done intense drawing in years so I'm a bit rusty, and c) I was working with charcoal, which I hate using (it's so dry!). It was difficult, but I wasn't as terrible as I thought I was going to be.

I'd recommend life drawing to anyone - even if you aren't working in the art field/don't think you're arty/don't know what a pencil is. It's great for practising hand-eye coordination, a valuable skill in lots of situations. It also makes you look at things with more care, noticing what you haven't noticed before, seeing things in a different way.

I'm typing this whilst enjoying the smell of roasting butternut squash waft through the rooms - tonight I'm planning to make butternut squash and lentil soup. With a bit of spice. Nice.

I can hardly believe it's Guy Fawkes Night tomorrow! I love bonfires but hate fireworks, which is a tad awkward, but I will be partaking in a sparkler or two. I might even have my first gingerbread latte of the season!

Enjoy your weekends everyone!