Warm, hearty soup is the perfect meal for cold winter days. You can make a huge pot of it at the weekend and make it last all week. Serve it piping hot and thick with chunky slices of fresh multi-grain bread, and you can't beat it. It'll help keep all those winter bugs at bay!

Ingredients

Makes about 8 - 10 mugs

• 1 leek roughly chopped
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 1 carrot roughly chopped
• 1 medium sized pumpkin - scooped out and cut into cubes.
• 1 pint water
• Black Pepper to season
• 4 - 5 teaspoons chicken stock powder (or cubes)
• half a cup of milk
• 3 teaspoons garlic paste
• olive oil
• 1 - 2 teaspoons curry or balti powder (secret ingredient)

Method

create a standard soup base by splashing olive oil in the base of your pan, and adding the leek and onion and garlic. Saute (i.e. heat/fry) for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown and soften. Add the carrot and pumpkin and water and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. 

Add the chicken stock (vegetable stock if you want a veggie soup!). Don't add it all at once - add about half, stir in and taste after a minute or two. Add more stock if required.  Next add a spoon of curry powder. Again, taste before adding any more, you mustn't add too much and two spoons should be plenty!

Simmer the soup for 45 minutes, and once the time is up, allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then use a hand blender to puree the soup. Stir in the milk, and add black pepper (and more stock if required) to season, tasting to check. Don't over do it.

Serve with big chunks of fresh bread and snuggle up in front of the fire. Perfect!

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More about the  food category

My whole "food" section is inspired around the theme of "recipes for blokes". It has evolved as a result of my own need to stay alive.

What I've tried to do is come up with some recipes that are easy to make, but taste great. They're quick and easy because they make use of basic, reliable ingredients where I've replaced the "science" of following a strict recipe with (hopefully) something more creative and flexible.

[By the way, you should read these recipes in conjunction with my "basic ingredients" list.]

And of course, tasty food is a great way to impress a partner or your hungry dinner guests.

You'll also discover that I've tried to use healthy ingredients, and in particular avoiding the use of salt wherever possible.

In all my recipes the focus is not on the fine detail (probably what puts a lot of fellas off) but on the essence of the recipe. Experiment with the ingredients and find the quantities that suit you and your taste buds best. Once you are well practised it will come you'll be able to create your own recipes and mouthwatering dishes from a few leftover ingredients.

More about the author

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