SOUP

In October I'll be host
to witches, Goblins and a ghost
I'll serve them chicken soup on toast
Whoopy once, whoopy twice
whoopy chicken soup with rice.
        written by Maurice Sendak


While I was a Nanny for Raf, his grandmother came to visit a couple of times from Australia and cooked up a storm for Amelia. When "Grandy" left I was in charge of cooking some of her well known dishes from the recipe cards she left behind. One of my favorite dishes was her roasted pumpkin soup. I soon discovered that some vegetables have different names here in the states compared to our friends who live down under. Imagine my confusion when Amelia went on a trip with Raf and I to buy a pumpkin at Whole Foods in January to make this soup. I thought she must be mistaken until I saw her pick up a butternut squash. It was my "aha" moment. This is a super easy recipe to make but what makes it taste AMAZING are these ultra stock cubes that Amelia drops into all sorts of things that make them taste so good. I have never used bouillon cubes and generally stay away from them but the ones she has in her pantry are from Australia. She brought back a couple of packages of these cubes for me to use in my own kitchen. I have been using them sparingly until I discovered I can buy them on Amazon. YESSSS!!!!!!


Grandy's Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4

2kg pumpkin (1 lb)
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 ripe roma tomatoes, quartered (I usually add a few extra)
1 Tbsp. EVOO
2 Chicken-style stock cubes
1.25 L boiling water (5 cups)

• Peel pumpkin, remove seeds, cut into chunks
• Combine pumpkin, onion, tomatoes & garlic in a large baking dish, drizzle with oil, s&p
• Bake at 250C/500F for about 40 minutes until soft
• Crumble stock cubes and 2 c. water into baking dish
• Puree until smooth, add remaining water till desired consistency
• FREEZES WELL!

What do they make these magic cubes out of?