This soup is like autumn in a bowl! A little bit sweet, a little bit spicy – smooth and comforting on a cold dreary day. I made a broth first, and let it sit on the stove most of the afternoon, warming the kitchen and making everybody hungry!

Here’s MF Doom’s Ginger to listen to while you cook.

I make vegetable broth by warming olive oil in a saucepan, and then adding roughly cut shallots, garlic, carrots, and then whatever vegetables I have in my home at that moment. I added rosemary and thyme, some lettuce leaves, some parsley, a few mushrooms. I like to add a handful of lentils, any kind, to add depth. I add a dollop of marmite and a teaspoon of tamari, to add some meaty saltiness. You can add tomatoes, potatoes – whatever you have! I let these all get coated in oil and wilty. Cook them about 5 minutes. And then add as much water as the pot will comfortably hold with room to boil. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to very low and simmer for half an hour or several hours – however much time you have! At the end taste it and add as much salt and pepper as you like.

3 large carrots – 1/2 inch dice
2 large parnsips – 1/2 inch dice
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 small hot pepper
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 inch cube ginger
1/2 t cardamom
2 cloves
1 t. coriander
pinch allspice
pinch cinnamon.
dollop butter
1 t. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the hot pepper, the shallot, the garlic and the ginger very very finely, so that you almost have a paste. (you can use a food processor for this) If you don’t have a hot pepper, add some cayenne or red pepper flakes later.

2. Warm the oil and butter. WHen the butter has melted, add the parsnips, carrots, and the ginger/garlic/shallot/pepper mixture. Let them cook, covered, until the oil is mostly absorbed, and the vegetables are starting to get mushy.

3. While you’re cooking the vegetables, toast the spices for a few minutes until they’re aromatic, and then grind them in a coffee grinder. (Your coffee will have a mysteriously spicy flavor the next day.

4. Add the pumpkin and the spices to the pot. Stir them in well, and let everything cook for a few minutes. Then add broth to cover all the vegetables by about an inch. I think I added three cups, but you can adjust for the size of your veggies.

5. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for half an hour or 40 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.

6. Add the butter and lemon juice, and then blend the soup till it’s quite smooth. Taste, and then add plenty of salt and pepper, or cayenne or lemon juice, till you get a nice sweet/hot balance.

7. I serve it with a swirl of pesto sauce, but you could garnish it with basil leaves or cilantro, if you don’t have pesto.