Pumpkin and herbs

Right now I have Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme growing in my winter garden. It is about the only thing I have to harvest apart from my Silver Beet or Chard (as it is sometimes called). I do like pumpkin soup in winter but prefer to make my own. I rarely order it from a restaurant menu cos it so easy to make - at home! Yes, it can be a little boring but if you get the right recipe, pumpkin makes a great, inexpensive, nutritious meal for the family! This soup recipe came from 'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone' by Deborah Madison. I came across her book in 2010 when staying with Jules and Jane in Hudson, New York. It is a classic book the size of a 'brick' and has been reprinted many times. It can be bought on Amazon and I would recommend it to anyone interested in vegetarian cooking.
For this soup I was inspired to do two things - make my own vegetable stock and fry little sage leaves. I must be a bit weird but they are rather lovely things to fry and are delicious subtle little treat to include on your spoon of pumpkin soup (along with a little bit of the melted cheese!) Trust me it is worth the trouble - YUM!
Winter Pumpkin Soup with Fried Sage Leaves
1 to 1.5 kg of pumpkin
1/4 c olive oil
6 garlic cloves
12 whole sage leaves - plus 2 tbsp chopped
2 onions finely chopped
4 thyme sprigs - finely chopped or 1/4 tsp dried
1/4 c chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
2000ml water or vegetable stock (make your own with celery, carrots, chard, onions, fresh herbs etc)
1/2 cup strong cheese
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cut pumpkin into big chunks, remove seeds, brush with oil, stuff with garlic, place cut side down and bake until tender for about 30mins. In a small fry pan heat the olive oil then drop the sage leaves and fry for only a minute, remove and drain on a paper towel and reserve. Transfer the oil to a larger pot, add chopped onion, chopped sage, thyme and parsley. Cook until onions are lightly browned. Scoop the pumpkin flesh into the pot along with any juices in the roasting pan, add the peeled garlic, 1 1/2 tsp salt and the water/stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer partially covered for 25 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick just more stock or water to thin it out. Taste for seasonings. When cooled slightly, I used a hand held kitchen whizz to smooth/refine the soup. Reheat, ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with a little cheese and add a couple of the fried sage leaves on top to garnish.

Makes about 6 adult portions