A heartwarming soup recipe

And sharing some to-be-reads that am most excited to crack open.

Hello! I’m Celine and I write about books, cooking, gardening and rewilding in an urban setting. Subscribe for free fortnightly posts like this one, or join the community for exclusive writing. Either way, thanks for your support!

Dear Reader,

I hope you’re having a splendid week. It’s been sunny and warmish here in Melbourne. We’re deep within ‘the turning’; the deciduous trees are dropping their leaves, blanketing the pavement in gold, orange, red and yellow.

A delight to behold, to crunch underfoot, to kick up into the air, for all kids, big and small. It’s the simple things in life, that bring the most joy, amirite?

Speaking of simple, that’s what we’re keeping this week’s missive. I’ve had family in town and there’s been a flurry of activity; babysitting niblings, exploring the city and eating our way around the neighbourhood. Not much time for writing, reading or cooking, but that’s completely fine.

Some recent additions to the kitchen counter include a plantain and dandelion infused vinegar and sourdough starter, both doing their thing.

A simple recipe for delicious pumpkin soup

In the mood for some easy, yet heart-warming dishes? Me too.

I’ve been making this soup for years and it’s one of my faves. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare (depending on how fast you can chop) and 20 minutes to cook. It can also be easily adapted if you’re vego or vegan.

What you will need

• one tablespoon vegetable oil, more as needed

• pumpkin, cut into large cubes – about half a standard sized kent or butternut (which is known as butternut squash elsewhere)

• three potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 cup chicken/vegetable stock

• 1 cup milk - if you don’t drink cow milk, rice milk works

• salt and pepper to taste

• optional - a dollop of cream or yoghurt, or cheese, to add to the soup when serving.

What you will need to do

1. Add the oil to a large saucepan.

2. Once warm, throw in the potatoes and cook for about five minutes.

3. Once the potatoes started to brown, throw in the pumpkin and cook for another five or so minutes.

4. Pour in the stock, let things bubble away for five, then add the milk, salt and pepper.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin and potato are soft.

6. Let cool a little and add further seasoning, if needed. Then transfer to a blender or use a stab mixer to puree the vegetables.

7. Bowl up, add cream, yoghurt, a sprinkling of cheddar or chunk of blue cheese. Serve with toasted bread. Yummo.

What to do with the skins & seeds

Don’t chuck the pumpkin skin and seeds! Here at What’s Cooking, we love zero waste tips for the kitchen, so here are some ideas.

After thoroughly washing the skin, you can pickle the pumpkin rind for later. Organic pumpkin is probably best to use for this. I’ve also used the skins to make stock in the past.

Pumpkin seeds apparently have many health benefits, so why wouldn’t you wanna get them in your gut? I like to roast them for about 15 mins in the oven, in oil or butter, with a sprinkling of salt and/or paprika on top. Makes for a yummy snack.

On the TBR (to be read) list

I thought rather than talk about books I’d read recently, I’d share with you some of the books that are haphazardly piled beside my bed; very much on my TBR list. I love seeing what people plan, due to general nosiness. I assume others feel the same?

Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov (translated by Angela Rodel)

Time Shelter was this month’s pick for my book club, which I unfortunately did not finish in time, it happens. After the ensuing discussion, I’m more keen to read it than ever. It definitely sounds like the kind of book it’s worth taking one’s time with, rather than rushing through in one sitting.

Blurb: An enigmatic flaneur named Gaustine opens a 'clinic for the past' that offers a promising treatment for Alzheimer's sufferers: each floor reproduces a decade in minute detail, transporting patients back in time. But as the rooms become more convincing, an increasing number of healthy people seek out the clinic as a 'time shelter', hoping to escape from the horrors of our present...

What Birdo is that? A Field Guide to Bird-people by Libby Robin

Every birder needs a field guide. What Birdo is that? offers something a little different – it’s a guide to bird people, who can be as enigmatic and interesting as the birds they love.

Blurb: This field guide to Australia's bird-people provides a basis for understanding the complex relationship between people and birds in a land of extremes at the forefront of changing climate and habitats.

Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan

Louise Milligan’s journalism is excellent, so it stands to reason that her fiction must be jolly good too. She dips her toe into fictional crime in her debut, Pheasants Nest. Can’t wait to dive into it as an upcoming Friday Night Thriller.

Blurb: Kate Delaney has made the biggest mistake of her life. On a girls' night out, she picked the wrong sleazy guy to publicly humiliate in a bar and now she is living every woman's worst nightmare. She finds herself brutalised, bound and gagged in the back of a car being driven god knows where by a man whose name she doesn't know, and petrified about what is in store for her…

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

And ending on a more upbeat note. There are some smart and fun romances doing the rounds at the moment, of which How to End a Love Story certainly seems to be one.

Blurb: Helen Zhang is the bestselling author who can't write her own happy-ever-after. Grant Shepard is the screenwriter with the movie-star looks who can't afford his therapist. When the two of them are put together to adapt Helen's books for television, it should be a dream come true… but aren't the best endings the ones you never saw coming? 

What’s on your TBR at the moment?

That’s all for this week. Same time, same place next week, for our monthly bumper edition.

‘Til then, stay well and well-fed.

-Celine

Read next:

A stab at making xiao long bao

A matcha made in heaven

Excellent cookbooks to add to your collection

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Some links in this missive will take you to YourBookstore.io. This very handy website allows you to shop and support independent Australian bookstores. Give your local some love, or request a copy from your nearest library.