Smoked paprika, pumpkin and tomato soup (and naan!)

Most weekends in winter I make soup.

What are your favourite soups? Want any recipes from me? Please comment below.

Correction. Most weekends in winter I intend to make soup. But then there's brunches and friends and parties and SLEEPING to be done, and I forget to go to the Hill Street Farmers Market on Saturday and forget to go to the Harbourside Market at Te Papa on Sunday and I'm forced to buy expensive vegetables from New World Chaffers or cheap-but-odd vegetables from Countdown Newtown. First world problems, huh?

But when I have a weekend to myself or even a few hours spare on a Sunday, (or a Monday, curently I have Mondays off work) I make SOUPS. I freeze the soup and try not to think about Leela from Futurama sadly cooking then freezing all her dinners for the upcoming week.

It's not sad, it's PREPARED. Or something.

Anyway I was really happy to have this soup available in my lovely fiance's fridge (oh yeah, I got engaged) today because I have a cough-cold-flu. Otherwise known as the #lurgy.

I don't know about you, but when I'm sick I crave vegetables, sweet-lemony-things, butter, and salt. OK I crave butter and salt ALL OF THE TIME, but especially when my tachycardia plays up and all I want to do is drink lemonade and eat chips in bed. I'm sure there's a medical reason for all of this, probably something to do with electrolytes and glucose. I try to avoid the sugary White Death and have small amounts of honey instead of giving the viruses glucose to feed on and multiply and eventually take over my immune system (eek) so lemon-honey-whisky it is. And vegetable soup for nutrients and minerals and vitamins and hydration.

This soup is awesome especially if you have a roast the previous night and roast an extra half pumpkin and a head of garlic (and successfully avoid eating all the roasted sweet beautiful pumpkin flesh). I use the stalk of the broccoli in soups and stews because it's delicious and I can't bear throwing it away. Leeks would also be good in this soup. Or turnips, swedes or kumara if they're your kinda thing.

I made a gluten free buttery naan bread to accompany my premade soup because I wanted something fatty and salty, and because of sick-day boredom.

Oh and have you tried making ghee yet? It's kinda crucial to my naanish bread, but it's pretty much my frying oil of choice (other than coconut oil) so go to it, you adventurous cooks!

Oh yes, and you could add some finely chopped bacon to this soup too, I've done so and it's great.

Smoked paprika, pumpkin & tomato soups

Ingredients

Firstly, roast these two (and soak your lentils if you wanna)
1 butternut pumpkin or small Kent pumpkin, roasted
1 head garlic, roasted and smushed

2 onions, diced
1 Tablespoon ghee (or butter, coconut oil, duck fat or lard)
2 fresh tomatoes, skins removed in boiling water
2 stalks broccoli, chopped finely

2 cans tomatoes
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
750mL real vegetable stock/real chicken stock/real bone broth
1/2 cup red or brown lentils, soaked, or soaked & cooked chickpeas
1/2-2 cups of water, depending on desired consistency

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Preparation

Cook your onions in the ghee until soft and clear. Add the broccoli stalks, fresh tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the stock and cook until soft. Add the smushed pumpkin, garlic, smoked paprika, chicken/vegetable stock and rosemary. Cook until your lentils are a desired texture (you may need to add more water during cooking, I did).

Serve with naanish bread below, or with buttery toast, or with a ladle.

Garlic naanish bread (gluten free)

2 large eggs
1 cup gluten free flour mix (mix your own using these guidelines)
1/2 cup milk (rice or almond milk are ok)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 cup ghee
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1/8-1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (because it's PINK)


Whisk the eggs and milk, sift in the flours. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan. Pour in the pancake mix, turn when the pancake is firm enough to turn (you may not get the bubbles you would with wheat flour pancakes). Sprinkle with garlic and more butter. Cook until desired texture, flip for 30 seconds to slightly brown your garlic before serving.

Dip slices into your soup (or curry) and enjoy!